Did You Get a Phone Call From Yorktown Town Hall?

Did you receive an automated phone call from the town on Feb. 7 with emergency information about the pending snowstorm?

If yes, you’re one of the lucky ones. If not, then the question is: Why not?

For over a year, I’ve been asking questions about the status of the Town’s emergency notification system that was set up in 2011 with a $20,000 grant from Entergy. And for over a year, I’ve been getting evasive answers from Supervisor Grace. Answers like: “We’re looking into it.” 

During the Courtesy of the Floor segment at the Feb. 19 meeting, I raised the issue again, this time asking two very specific questions about the Feb. 7 call:

1. As the Town hadn’t renewed the contract with Deltalert, the company that operated the emergency notification system, what company sent out the call? Had the Town signed up a new company?
2. What phone list was used to make the calls? As the Town hadn’t purchased the Verizon 911 phone list (with the grant funds), the notification system was reaching less than one third of the Town’s residents.

Supervisor Grace’s response to my questions was silence. Total silence. It was as if the questions had never been asked. The silence was especially ironic as his office had touted the use of the automated calls in a press release it issued after the storm:

“Town Councilman Terrence Murphy said the numerous press conferences, emails and automated calls prior to this storm helped keep residents off the roads.”

Councilman Murphy also failed to respond to my questions. (For those who didn’t get the automated call, the message was to watch the Supervisor’s press conference on Channels 20/33; not much help for households that don’t have cable or FIOS service.)

So what’s the current status of the emergency notification system? Why does the Town’s web site continue to show a Deltalert sign up page if the Supervisor has no intention of renewing the contract or expanding the phone list?

After experiencing two storms in 11 months, it’s time Supervisor Grace decided if he wants an emergency notification system, and if so, what system and how it should be used.

• If he doesn’t think an emergency notification system is needed or worthwhile, then he should explain why not to residents and remove the Deltalert sign up link from the Town’s web site

• But, if he does see value in the system, then it behooves him to make sure that the system covers all residents and is used to communicate important emergency information. And, if the Supervisor isn’t happy with the Deltalert system, then he should issue a new RFP and see if he can find a better system at a better price.

But first and foremost, Supervisor Grace needs to make up his mind what he wants — and act —hopefully before the next emergency.  

For more information about the emergency notification system, visit yorktownbettergovernment.org.