Lower MUA Using Automated Emergency Notification System

VILLAS — How do you notify a number of residents in a short amount of time that a water main has broken?
Lower Township Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) is sharing use of a reverse 9-1-1 system with Lower Township. Reverse 9-1-1 can deliver a recorded message to many phone numbers in a matter of minutes.
The System is a web based system administered by Global Connect and utilized by the township and emergency management coordinator to contact residents of emergencies, Amber Alerts, storm warnings, heat emergencies and other important issues. This system was recently used during the past winter storms and heat advisory warnings.
Lower MUA Executive Director Mike DeMarcantonio said prior to the contracting for the reverse 9-1-1 system, MUA workers walked neighborhoods and taped notices on doors that water service had been interrupted.
The MUA office would be bombarded with phone calls when water service was out, he said.
DeMarcantonio said MUA could call one house, call every home on one street or call half the town with reverse 9-1-1.
“It’s all in a matter of minutes and we can notify everybody that there’s an emergency with a water main break or a sewer blockage or hydrant flushing,” he said.
MUA is splitting the cost of using the reverse 9-1-1 system with Lower Township, which pays $5,000 per year.
Specific persons can be notified that may not be in the area affected by a water outage such as the mayor, township manager, and emergency management. It can also call MUA employees that may need to report to work in an emergency, said DeMarcantonio.
“It does a lot more than I even anticipated,” he said.
The system utilizes Verzion’s telephone listing of all registered telephone numbers. It will also notify residents on their cell phones.
If you are a township resident and wish to register your cell phone number so you may receive these important notices, please go to the township website: http://www.townshipoflower.org/ or the MUA website: http://www.ltmua.org/