What is Reverse 911?

2011 has certainly turned out to be an interesting and devastating year in terms of natural disasters. The year is only halfway finished, yet hundreds of people have already died in several strings of deadly tornadoes that have hit the southern United States over the past few months. One of those deadly tornadoes actually affected me personally.

On April 16, 2011, my husband and I survived our very first tornado just two weeks after moving to Sanford, North Carolina. I'm happy to report that we came through the tornado just fine, although it literally passed through our front yard. A community just a few hundred yards from where we live was pretty much destroyed during the storm, which claimed one person's life. Hours later, a tornado passed through my hometown of Gloucester, Virginia, destroying the school where I attended 7th and 8th grades in the mid 1980s.

We had heard the tornado warnings on television and saw warnings on the Internet, but our community does not yet have a Reverse 911 service. I first heard about Reverse 911 when a friend of mine who lives in Massachusetts told me about it calling her home during the tornado activity that hit Springfield, Massachusetts on June 1st

What is Reverse 911?

Reverse 911 is an emergency notification service offered by some telephone companies. In the event of an impending natural disaster or other imminent emergency, the service calls phone numbers entered in a database and plays a pre-recorded message that delivers information and instructions. According to Norcom.org's fact sheet on Reverse 911, "the system uses software to call selected phone numbers based on the geographic location of the billing address for the phone number."

Phone companies initially supply phone numbers to the system in areas where Reverse 911 is offered, although citizens or businesses that don't want Reverse 911 service can request to have their phone numbers removed from the system's database. Likewise, those who do want Reverse 911 service should be sure to update the system when they move or change their phone numbers. Those who have unlisted phone numbers in areas that offer Reverse 911 should check their local service provider's policy about Reverse 911 service. They may have to specifically request that their phone numbers are added to the Reverse 911 database.

Do you have to have a land line to get Reverse 911 service?

This was a question that I had. According to a brochure about Reverse 911 published by the Eastside Fire and Rescue Service in Sammamish, Washington, people who exclusively use cell phones or Voice Over Internet Phone (VOIP) services like Skype can register for Reverse 911. Those who have landlines are automatically registered, unless they have unlisted phone numbers. Reverse 911 can also work through PDA devices, pagers, text messages, and email.

Check your local area to find out if Reverse 911 is available and who administers the service. In some areas, Reverse 911 is run by the police department. In others, it's run by the fire department.

Benefits to Reverse 911

Reverse 911 is potentially very useful to people who don't watch television, surf the Internet, or listen to the radio. It's also useful to those who have lost power, but still have phone service. It can also be useful to communities because it can be used as sort of a community billboard. Callers can phone the service to access information about community events or updates about emergency situations.

Drawbacks to Reverse 911

I don't know about you, but more often than not these days I don't tend to answer my phone. Caller ID has made it possible for me to screen my phone calls, which are usually from telemarketers or other phone based pests. If I don't recognize a phone number or name on my Caller ID, I usually let it go to voice mail.

Also, my friend in Massachusetts experienced a different kind of drawback to the Reverse 911 service. She has a nine year old son and he got very upset and anxious when Reverse 911 called their home to let them know about the severe weather in their area. As it turned out, the tornadoes did not affect my friend's hometown, but her son was so rattled by the calls from Reverse 911 that he insisted that they both spend the night in their basement. That probably wasn't a bad idea, given the fact that so many people have been killed or injured by tornadoes this year. But if there is someone in your family who is prone to anxiety, Reverse 911 might not be a good thing.

My community doesn't offer Reverse 911 yet...

But based on some rudimentary research, I can see that the trend is growing across America. Given the crazy weather that has affected the United States this year, I predict that more and more communities will have access to the Reverse 911 service. It's only a matter of time.

Sources

"Massachusetts tornadoes kill at least 4" June 1, 2011 http://articles.cnn.com/2011-06-01/us/massachusetts.tornado_1_power-lines-and-trees-apartment-building-severe-damage?_s=PM:US

"Reverse 911" http://norcom.org/reverse911.cfm

"What Is Reverse 911" http://www.ci.sammamish.wa.us/files/agenda/6103.pdf