Philadelphia - Mayor Michael Nutter (D) and representatives of the counties surrounding Philadelphia unveiled a text message system Friday that will alert residents of southeastern Pennsylvania to emergencies.

Area residents can sign up for the system, called ReadyNotifyPA, by either going to www.readynotifypa.org or by text messaging their county code (either BUCKS, CHESCO, DELCO, MONTCO or PHILA) to 411911.

The Southeast Pennsylvania Regional Task force has put the program into effect after entering into an $887,000 five-year contract with Cooper Notification. Funding for the program has come entirely from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

ReadyNotifyPA texts will alert those who have signed up both to the emergency itself and to the appropriate personal actions that should be taken in response.

Mr. Nutter and others emphasized the inter-jurisdictional cooperative effort that culminated in the alert system.

"We want to make sure that people are getting accurate information all across the region," he said.

Montgomery County Board of Commissioners chairman James Matthews (R), said that the area's various major industries - among them pharmaceuticals, information technology, petrochemical research, agriculture and shipbuilding - and its population of 3.5 million make it a site of high-vulnerability if an emergency along the lines of a terrorist attack or an extreme weather exigency arises.

"We have so many attributes," he said. "We have a responsibility to stay alert, to know what's going on."

Delaware County Council Vice Chairman Jack Whelan (R) noted that if a major emergency arises, preparation for it and response to it often cannot be handled only by the county in which it has taken place. He cited Philadelphia International Airport, three-fourths of which is located in Delaware County.

"Emergencies don't confine themselves to political jurisdictions," Mr. Whelan said.

After the ReadyNotifyPA announcement, the mayor and several city officials discussed newly publicized evacuation routes for those living or working in the city during an emergency. The can be viewed at www.phila.gov/ready.

"Please take the time to become familiar with these evacuation plans," Mr. Nutter urged city residents and commuters. "Review them now."

The mayor also said it would be prudent for individuals to prepare a "go bag," a bag of essential supplies that would include bottled water, energy bars and important documents.

Bradley Vasoli can be reached at bvasoli@thebulletin.us