On the one year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, DeSales Media Group, working with the Diocese of Brooklyn, last week announced the launch of the DeSales Emergency Alert System (EAS) App powered by AlertID, to help provide critical information and alerts during emergencies.
The DeSales app will help protect more than 30,000 children in the Diocese’s 89 schools.
Hurricane Sandy significantly disrupted communication between the schools and the families of the children who attended them. In some cases, the only way to contact schools or parents was to walk door to door. That challenge inspired DeSales to seek an emergency communications solution for the schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn. With this partnership, DeSales and the Diocese are able to use AlertID technology to redefine the way in which critical public safety information is communicated and shared between schools and families.
The free app sends secure notifications from school administration to staff, teachers, students and families to provide immediate information on everything from snow days and school lockdowns to natural disasters and evacuation information. The Emergency app is available as a mobile application for iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablets and is powered by AlertID.
“We are very pleased to partner with AlertID. Their technology enables us to deliver critical safety information to schools, families and parishioners,” said Monsignor Kieran Harrington, Vicar for Communications for the Diocese of Brooklyn. “AlertID offers an important and comprehensive solution allowing us to send out important information very quickly in any situation and protect families at home as well.”
The app also includes other important features that enhance the safety and well-being of teachers, administrators, families, and parishioners. Members can view local maps showing where registered sex offenders live or work in their neighborhoods, and will receive an alert, safety information and prevention tips when an offender moves into their neighborhood or near their child’s school. The app gives members and neighbors the ability to securely share information with each other, empowering the public and helping to reduce crime. The app also offers a secure place (My Family Wallet™) for families to store current photo and demographic information about their child, including the ability to send the information to authorities in the case of a missing child.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to work with DeSales Media Group to help protect the children and families at the schools throughout the Diocese of Brooklyn,” said Ken Wiles, CEO of AlertID. “Hurricane Sandy brought devastation to Brooklyn and Queens, and we are proud to help the Diocese achieve the vision of delivering a secure emergency communication solution to students and their families.”