Perry County upgrades CodeRED alerts for faster storm warnings

Perry County has refreshed its 9-1-1 communications account with Emergency Communications Network, the company behind CodeRED, tightening the county’s route for high-speed notifications and weather warnings when storms turn dangerous. The Perry County Emergency Management Agency says the system is part of a StormReady setup meant to protect homes, communities and lives before, during and after emergencies, and the office is open at 2219 Payne Street in Tell City, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CST.

The county also maintains a separate CodeRED Weather Warning page, a sign that this is meant to be a standing public-warning tool rather than a one-time notice. For residents in Tell City, Cannelton and Troy, that matters because fast-moving weather and other emergencies can leave little time to react, especially when contact information is outdated or phones are not set up to receive alerts reliably.

That is where the system’s limits become clear. CodeRED can only reach people if the county has the right numbers and addresses on file, so anyone who has changed a phone number, moved to a new home or relies on spotty cell coverage should verify their information now rather than wait for the next storm. The county’s website and the EMA office in Tell City provide the clearest local backstop when warnings are changing quickly and residents need to know where to turn.

Perry County’s StormReady status gives that warning network added weight. The National Weather Service says StormReady communities meet criteria established jointly with state and local emergency management officials, and the county appears on Indiana’s StormReady list. The designation is designed to improve communication and safety before, during and after severe weather, which is the point of any alert system that is supposed to work under pressure.

The need is not theoretical in Perry County. Weather.gov’s tornado climatology records an F3 tornado on December 9, 1952, that struck the northern part of Tell City, injured three people and damaged homes and barns in Perry County. County government also notes that Perry County was organized in 1814 and was the last county in Indiana created before the Territory of Indiana applied to Congress for an enabling act. In a county with that history, the message is simple: keep alert information current, because the next warning has to reach the right people fast.