Clackamas County Disaster Management Outreach and Technology
Coordinator Jamie Poole remembered in 2011 when the Clackamas County
Emergency Notification System pushed out messages to Mountain residents
during the Dollar Lake Fire. But that system, which can notify area residents
with important information about disasters and other events, became obsolete
on Sept. 1, with the implementation of an upgraded system, #ClackCo Public
Alerts, and Mountain residents are highly encouraged to sign up to receive
messages via text, phone and email.

“We want as many people to register as quickly as possible,” Poole said,
adding that the county had just monitored a three-alarm brush fire in Eagle
Creek in case evacuations were needed.

“It’s not Big Brother,” added Hoodland Fire Chief John Ingrao, noting that
messages will be limited to critical information about events including
flooding, fires and other emergency responses. “Its use is an automated form
to get critical info out in a timely manner.”

Those who enrolled in the old system will not be carried over and will need to
reenroll at www.clackamas.us/publicalerts.

Important messages that could be relayed include notices to evacuate,
shelter-in-place, shelter locations and other extremely important information.
The county will not use any registered #ClackCo Public Alerts contact
information for anything other than these emergency notifications.

Poole recommended that each family member create their own account to
receive messages, while users can set a priority list for what device receives
the messages first (once acknowledged, messages will not be sent to other
devices). Users can also edit their information, while the system is location

based (so users who frequent one address on the mountain, including part-
time residents, should also enroll).

More information can be found at www.clackamas.us/dm.