WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Emergency officials at the Wythe County Consolidated 911 Center will be performing a test of the countywide citizen notification system next week.

The test, which is scheduled for Thursday, October 16 at 2 p.m. will be the second such test of the year and is anticipated to serve as the final one for some time.

“Since we performed the first test in July, we have registered hundreds of additional mobile devices into the system and we simply want to make for sure that it is still operating as it should,” said James Copeland, Wythe County’s Director of Emergency Communications.

According to Copeland, residents and businesses will receive a call on their landlines, informing them of the system test.

Copeland added, “Residents who have registered their mobile devices will receive a phone call, text message or email, depending upon their registration preferences.”

Throughout the summer, local leaders have encouraged citizens to register their mobile phones in order to receive special notifications from emergency officials regarding extreme weather and other dangers. Residents who wish to sign up their mobile devices can do so by visiting filling out the forms available at the administrative offices of the Town of Wytheville, Wythe County and the Town of Rural Retreat.

Emergency officials say most residents have expressed a sincere gratitude for the alert system, which is designed to notify local residents in the event of catastrophe.

In addition to emergency alerts, citizens can also sign-up for optional weather alerts, supplied by the National Weather Service.

The mass notification system was funded by a grant from the Wythe-Bland Foundation and is part of a cooperative effort between the towns of Rural Retreat and Wytheville, along with Wythe County.

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