NEW ORLEANS – This September is National Preparedness Month and City officials are urging all New Orleans residents and businesses to sign up for the NOLA Ready Emergency Alert System, which provides accurate, immediate emergency notifications from the City of New Orleans to residents’ cell, work or home phones via text message, e-mail or voice message. The City also urges any resident who may require special assistance during emergencies to sign up for the City’s Special Needs Registry. Residents can get more information and sign up for both at ready.nola.gov.
“National Preparedness Month is a great time to make a plan for your family, your school and your business for what you would do in the event of an emergency, which can occur without warning,” said Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “We are still in peak hurricane season, and New Orleans is no stranger to emergency situations, which is why we strongly encourage every resident to sign up for the City’s NOLA Ready Emergency Alert System. These alerts provide critical information during an emergency that can help protect you and your family. Please visit ready.nola.gov, and sign up today.”
By visiting ready.nola.gov, residents can sign up for NOLA Ready alerts, which will notify the public of emergency situations including, but not limited to, evacuation information; chemical spills; shelter-in-place alerts; weather advisories; and, infrastructure issues, such as boil water advisories. Residents can tailor the alerts to specific locations, types of alerts and on which devices they will be notified.
Residents may also get accurate, up-to-the-minute information and safety tips during an emergency by following NOLA Ready on Twitter (@NOLAReady) or Facebook at NOLA Ready. So far, more than 100,000 people have signed up for some type of NOLA Ready emergency alert.
Residents may also get more information on how to prepare for emergency situations, such as a suggested disaster supply kit for every household, at ready.nola.gov.
The City is also encouraging individuals who require special assistance during emergencies to enroll in its Special Needs Registry. The registry does not guarantee assistance, but allows first responders to appropriately plan for, prepare for, and respond to community needs.
“We encourage all residents with medical, mobility or functional needs to enroll in our Special Needs Registry,” said Dr. Jeff Elder, interim director of the New Orleans Department of Health. “Our staff uses this information every day to make important decisions about the needs of our community and to contact people when there is an emergency.”
The Special Needs Registry includes all individuals, regardless of age, with a chronic condition, disability, special healthcare need, or who may require additional assistance during an emergency.
These include those who:
• Use life support systems such as oxygen, respirator, ventilator, dialysis or pacemaker;
• Have mobility disabilities and use a wheelchair, scooter, walker, cane or other mobility device;
• Are visually impaired, blind, or deaf;
• Have speech, cognitive, developmental or mental health disabilities; and,
• Use assistive animals or a prosthesis.
A family member, caregiver, or authorized representative can enroll an individual on their behalf. Residents may enroll in the Special Needs Registry by calling 3-1-1 or by visiting ready.nola.gov.
