Candler County residents can now sign up for emergency alerts through a new system after the county’s CodeRED service stopped working Tuesday.
What’s Happening: The Candler County Sheriff’s Office announced Nov. 11 that CodeRED was suspended without warning. The outage appears to have affected all customers using the platform.
What’s Important: The county already has a replacement system ready to use. CivicPlus Mass Notification System is now active and can send emergency alerts immediately if needed.
How It Works: The new system sends calls, texts and emails to residents for emergencies, weather warnings and community updates. Residents can sign up now at https://portal.civicplus.com/GA-CandlerCounty to receive alerts.
Between the Lines: County leaders approved the CivicPlus system earlier this year, which meant they had a backup ready when CodeRED failed. The timing prevented a gap in emergency notification coverage.
What They’re Saying: Justin Wells, director of the Candler County Emergency Management Agency, said the county will continue posting updates on social media. He acknowledged resident feedback about the importance of timely information on those platforms.
The Big Picture: Emergency alert systems send warnings about severe weather, missing persons, evacuations and other threats. When these systems fail, communities lose a critical tool for keeping people safe during disasters.
The Sources: Candler County Sheriff’s Office.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
