An incorrect telephone number accompanied this story posted on 6-29 and published in the Toeldo Chronicle:

The Correct Telephone Number To Call Is: 641-484-6261 – 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Mon-Fri

You may also register online: www.tamacounty.org/emerg.html

More than 1,650 Tama County residents have signed up for Alert Iowa notifications from Tama County Emergency Management. With summer storm season here and if you haven’t subscribed to the new system you can still do so at any time according to Mindy Benson, Coordinator, Tama County E911/Emergency Management Agency.

Alerts are made for home or business phones, voice or text on mobile phones and by email. After signing up you should receive a text or email message depending upon the alert(s) you choose.

You also have a choice to which areas of the county and optional types of weather alerts. The system was activated in Tama county last week when the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for the county.

There is no cost to sign up or receive alerts. And, unlike the previous CodeRed alert system which was billed to cities and the county at the rate of 50 cents per person annually, there is no charge made to the cities for participation in Alert Iowa, Benson said.

The system has been operational in Tama County since March and is capable of issuing warnings for 15 communities county-wide. Benson notes you can sign up only for alerts for a specific community, select a number of communities or for all alerts county-wide.

In an earlier report, Benson told The Chronicle: “Another thing that is great with the Alert Iowa system is that we will have Memorandum of Understandings on file with the surrounding counties that are also on the Alert Iowa System, so for an example if there is an event in Marshall County that will or could affect Tama County, the Marshall County can also send the alert into Tama County to give out citizens advanced notice.”

In addition, a special sign-up feature allows for persons with special needs to be identified in the time of a disaster which will allow for appropriate emergency response. (Emergency Management provided this list needs that we can also track with the Alert Iowa system: Assistive Electrical Devices, Bedridden, Blind/Vision Impaired, Deaf/Hearing Impaired, Insulin Dependent, Kidney Dialysis, Limited mobility/Wheelchair, Multiple Handicaps, Other Assistive Device(s) and Oxygen Machine/Cylinders.) The agency stresses it is respectful of personal privacy and the information is only for professional response usage.

To sign up: online: www.tamacounty.org/emerg.html or call Tama County Emergency Management 641-484-6261 (Mon-Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.)

Homeland Security System

These alerts are also part of the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management set up: System Alerts Wireless Emergency Notification system Alerts (WENS); Administrative Message; Flood Warning Blizzard Warning; Flood Watch; Emergency Flood Statement; Radiological Hazard Warning; Nuclear Power Plant Warning; Child Abduction; Responder Management; Civil Danger Warning; Hazardous Materials Warning; Severe Thunderstorm; Civil Emergency Message; High Wind Warning; Earthquake Warning; High Wind Watch; Severe Thunderstorm Watch; Evacuation Immediate; Law Enforcement Warning; Severe Weather Statement; Fire Warning; Local Area Emergency; Shelter in Place; Warning Flash Flood Watch; Network Message Special; Weather Statement; Flash Flood Statement Notification; Tornado Watch; 911 Outage Emergency; Blizzard Warning; Winter Storm Warning; Winter Storm Watch; integrated Public Alert.