Piscopo Promotes Telephone Safety Alert System

HARTFORD —The state recently launched the nation’s first statewide emergency notification system allowing public safety officials to communicate with residents, but people throughout Connecticut must register for the program to reach its full potential, Rep. John Piscopo said recently.

Piscopo, who represents Thomaston, Harwinton, Burlington and Litchfield, urged his constituents to register for CT Alert via a recently-launched Web site www.ctalert.gov. The system provides a way for authorities to get critical information to hundreds of thousands of residents and businesses in times of emergencies, such as natural disasters or even a public health crisis. Local and state officials teamed to develop it.

“Folks in law enforcement, or anybody in crisis management, really, would say that communication is among the most important aspects of a response plan,” he said. “Public safety officials in Connecticut are taking that principle seriously. There’s no doubt in my mind that this system will help people of this state.”

Some communities in Connecticut used the system during headline-grabbing spring storms that knocked out power and wreaked havoc in the lives of residents.

Sign up for the alert announcements here.