Just say the word and Chester County’s new emergency alert system will track you down when you need to know critical information. From text message to email, home phone call and work phone call, the county’s upgraded alerts keep going until they confirm you’ve received the message.

“The mass notification system allows our Department of Emergency Services to contact thousands of residents and businesses in seconds, when seconds matter,” Commissioner Kathi Cozzone said in an announcement for the improved service. “Subscribers can opt in and opt out at any time for the types of alerts they want, but they must register to receive them.”

Registration for the new ReadyChesCo is open at readychesco.org/, where residents, businesses and organizations can select which of the county’s weather, transportation, health and community notifications they wish to receive as well as which part of the county they want to know about. Then they can choose how they want alerts delivered — and in what order.

“By adding different contact methods to a registration, the emergency message will be sent to all of them in the pre-selected order,” Commissioner Michelle Kichline explained. “If residents wish to receive a text message first, it will be delivered. If the message is not confirmed as received, ReadyChesCo will move on to the second choice for delivery, and so on – be it email, home phone or work phone.”

Individuals and entities signed up for existing ReadyNotify alerts will need to re-register as well and will be sent instructions on how to do so.

“We are committed to ensuring public safety, community awareness and emergency response,” Chester County Department of Emergency Services Director Robert Kagel said. “To uphold this, when critical information and public service announcements are available, we need to reach our residents as quickly and reliably as possible.”