DeWitt County has a new mass notification system for emergencies.

The system is very similar to the systems in place through various schools, however, according to DeWitt County Sheriff Jered Shofner their system is reserved strictly for health and safety emergencies. Sheriff Shofner says the system comes to the County thanks to a grant from Exelon.

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Residents can visit www.dewittsheriff.com or www.clintonillinois.com and sign up for the alerts. Sheriff Shofner says this system allows them to reach hundreds of households simultaneously and get emergency information out in a timely manner.

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Sheriff Shofner explains the mass notification system comes about because of an incident they encountered last year when they needed to get information out but had no means to do so. He says DeWitt County and Clinton officials began seeking funding sources for a mass notification system, and that was when Exelon stepped up to help.

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Residents can receive messages via a phone all through your house phone or cell phone, email, or text message. Sheriff Shofner says recently many people have dropped their land lines for cell phones, and the Sheriff's Department has no contact information.

Again to get signed up for the free message alerts, you can visit dewittsheriff.com or clintonillinois.com.