Best Sources for Emergency Communications

What Should You Do in a Disaster?

First, we encourage everyone to have personal home and office plans in place in case of an emergency. We recommend residents go to www.ready.gov, the website of a national emergency awareness educational campaign created by the federal government. It includes information on how citizens can make a plan, emergency supply kits and other important information to know in advance of an emergency.

What is the best source of information in an emergency?

For emergency notification, we recommend the following for all of our citizens:

1. Register your cell phone numbers in Hudson’s Code Red Emergency Alert System that calls and sends text messages in times of emergency. If you have a landline phone that is already in the 9-1-1 database, your home phone will be called in an emergency. However, it’s important that you and all of your loved ones receive notifications by cell phone if you are not home. You can register more than one cell phone for your home or business address.

We encourage people to also sign up for email and text messages here, and emails through the City’s Notify Me Alert Center on our website. The reverse 9-1-1 system dials all phone numbers in the database, but that takes time, sometimes as much as a half-hour to an hour. The fastest way to receive emergency alerts is by text or email. Those go out in minutes.

2. Register your cell phone numbers with the Summit County Emergency Alert System. If a countywide emergency occurs, you will receive phone calls or text messages.

3. Check the City’s website at www.hudson.oh.us. An emergency alert banner will appear on the home page that will provide information and instructions about what to do in an emergency. The site is accessible by mobile phones should your power be out.

4. Check our social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter. They are excellent ways to get information in real time.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cityofhudsonoh

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cityofhudsonoh

5. Sign up for the City’s website emergency notification service, through the Notify Me Alert Center. We use this system to send emails during emergencies. To access it, click here and sign up for the Alert Center – Emergency Alert System.

6. Sign up/Download FEMA's Mobile App on your phone. You can receive alerts from the National Weather Service for up to five locations; get safety reminders, read tops to survive national disasters, and customize your emergency checklist; locate open shelters and where to talk to FEMA in person (or on the phone); and upload and share your disaster photos to help first responders. Learn more here.

7. Check the local radio and TV stations for announcements. We send information to all local media for broadcasting during an emergency. Hudson Community Television will broadcast emergency instruction and information on the community television channels. Also check their social media sites, as they will share and re-tweet news from our City social media sites.

9. Use of the emergency sirens. We have five emergency sirens located throughout Hudson. Though they are somewhat evenly spaced throughout the City, any such siren may not be heard during severe weather such as a tornado. We will activate the sirens in an emergency, but we recommend you sign up for our notification systems to help ensure you receive emergency alerts.

10. Listen/watch for door-to-door announcements. When the situation warrants, we will go door-to-door and use loud speakers from our vehicles that will drive through affected neighborhoods to provide evacuation and other information.