In 2008, the St. Mary's County Board of County Commissioners added the Severe Weather Warning System which is used to alert residents of Tornado, Thunderstorm and Flash Flood Warnings. The Weather Warning System provides automated messages that are released simultaneously with the National Weather Service notifications. The St. Mary's County Department of Public Safety urges county residents to sign up for the service by providing home telephone numbers, cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses. At the current time, over 10,000 citizens in St. Mary's County receive weather warnings on their home or cell phones.

The St. Mary's County CodeRED Emergency Notification System has been upgraded to allow residents to receive urgent messages by e-mail and text message in addition to the telephone. The present data base consists of land lines in St. Mary's County, as well as those individuals that signed up through the county web site for cell phone notifications. The CodeRED Emergency Notification System allows Public Safety officials to directly contact residents in the event of emergency situations by delivering specific scripted messages that notify citizens of pending emergencies. Those who previously signed up for CodeRED notifications can update their information to receive text messages and/or e-mail alerts.

"These systems can allow citizens the time to prepare or respond to emergency situations that could impact their homes and families. Many times with severe weather events, citizens are not aware that bad weather is coming until it is right above them. This system can allow them time to prepare before they are impacted, especially in the event of a tornado," states Jaclyn Shaw, Emergency Manager with the St. Mary's County Department of Public Safety. The Department of Public Safety reminds residents that CodeRED and Severe Weather Warning call notifications may include up to a five-second delay before messages begin and are urged not to hang up until the message has played. To register for the CodeRED emergency notification system or to update contact information with text message and/or e-mail addresses, click on Severe Weather Warning- CodeRED sign-up on the county's website at www.stmarysmd.com or go to http://www.stmarysmd.com/emergencycodered.asp. For more information, contact the St. Mary's County Department of Public Safety at 301-475-4200 Option 6 then Option 3