Emergency Messages May Soon Come To You on Your Cell Phone

The Yakima Office of Emergency Management is trying to adjust to a changing world. A world where people do not always get information from the traditional media sources. Office Director Jim Hall says he is looking at an automated system that would not only alert people on phones but other ways as well. Hall says “we’d like a system in which we could contact people through cell phones and e-mail.” Hall  says currently if a major emergency happens the office contacts local media hoping people listen, hear or see the emergency message. He says the new 40 thousand dollar system could alert more people in the case of a countywide or statewide emergency.