The Port Washington-Manhasset Office of Emergency Management (PWM OEM) launched NorthShoreAlert, a region-wide mass notification system, on Friday at a morning press conference at Sands Point Village Hall. Commissioner Peter Forman from the PWM OEM said that this alert system will cover the Port Washington Peninsula, which includes Port Washington and portions of Manhasset, serving approximately 38,000 residents. The system allows for local officials can send voice, text, e-mail and TTY/TDD messages to residents, businesses, and local agencies in just minutes or seconds.

"This system can advise people of emergencies, such as flooding as well as non-emergencies, such as upcoming elections," Forman said. "We have eight villages involved, three police departments: Sands Point, Port Washington and the Sixth Precinct in Nassau County, three fire departments and other special districts."

The NorthShoreAlert.org members include the Village of Manorhaven, Village of Sands Point, Village of Port Washington North, Village of Baxter Estates, Village of Plandome, Village of Plandome Heights, Village of Plandome Manor, Town of North Hempstead (covering unincorporated Port Washington), Sands Point Police Department, Port Washington Police District, Port Washington Fire District, Nassau County Police Department's Sixth Precinct, Port Washington Garbage District and the Greater Port Washington Business Improvement District.

Residents and businesses can sign up for this alert system by visiting NorthShoreAlert.org and click on the link to the city or area in which they live or work within the NorthShoreAlert map, Additional records of the same address can also be created, according to Forman. Additionally, multiple and out of town numbers can be added. Before this system was implemented, most organizations could only reach residents by regular mail and few had the information to e-mail or call residents.

Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman said that technology like this makes sense to people and allows residents to know that local leadership is there. He summed it up by saying, "This system enables people to be in touch during any type of emergency."

A demonstration of NorthShoreAlert took place at the press conference and details about the first test call along with important information regarding what action residents and businesses should take if they do not receive the test call were discussed. All of the press conference attendees were asked to take part in the launch. Over 100 hundred phones rang simultaneously when Forman and County Legislator Wayne Wink deployed the system for the first time. The first community-wide test call is scheduled for March 15.

"This is a great step in the right direction," Wink said. "It is all about protecting people and being able to get in touch with them during an emergency."

The multi-modal mass notification system will also be used for missing child alerts, storm warnings and street closures. Forman explained that in the case of a missing child, the police can pick a point on the NorthShoreAlert map on its Web site and send out an alert to all the surrounding areas. In the long run, Forman said that this system will help save time and resources.

"This is something special that has been created in the Port Washington Peninsula," Forman said. "The system makes us all work together in a cohesive fashion."