Bryan County Emergency Services and the Richmond Hill Fire Department are encouraging residents to register for the CodeRED emergency notification system ahead of Hurricane Irma.

The link can be found at https://public.coderedweb.com/cne/en-US/BFAE755A2AFA.

The system, created in 1998, is used by more than 3,000 municipalities in the United States and Canada and is capable of making 50,000 phone calls per hour. It can also be used to send texts, emails and social media messages.

The sign-up will ask for your address, and users can add multiple phone numbers and email accounts to receive notifications. It will ask you to manually place a digital marker on your home or business during sign-up.

Some of the uses for CodeRED include weather advisories, missing person notifications, evacuations and lockdowns, Amber Alerts, street closures and water emergencies.

There is no cost to sign up and your information is kept confidential. After you register, remember to check your email and click on the "confirm" link to activate your account.