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Iberia Parish residents urged to subscribe to new emergency system

Posted at 9:57 PM, Jun 04, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-04 23:18:31-04

The activity in the gulf is an early reminder that the tropical season is here. This year in Iberia Parish, there’s a new system in place to keep people safe.

The system is called PINS, and the parish government is hopeful residents find it helpful.

“It’s an emergency notification system that we can use for emergencies as well as regular events. The primary reason is for emergencies,” Iberia Parish President M. Larry Richard said.

Richard hopes the new system will solve a previous problem during emergencies, getting the word out quicker.

“What’s happening now is we have a system that we can actually post something on this particular system and in a couple of minutes it’s out to everyone,” Richard said.

The Parish Information Notification System, or PINS, was just recently rolled out. Residents can sign up for the alerts online, and choose which alerts will be sent directly to their phone.

Iberia Parish Homeland Director, Prescott Marshall, says the new system is important for safety.

“This is terribly important to us because we can’t accomplish our mission until people sign up and give us their contact information,” Prescott said.

In years past, Richard says deputies have had to go door to door to alert people of emergencies when they couldn’t get to the radio or the news fast enough. Now, all that someone has to do is pick up their phone for a phone call or a text message in case of an emergency.

Residents who spoke with KATC, say they’re thankful parish government is investing in their safety, especially ahead of hurricane season.