The town of Essex is testing its new emergency alert system.
This afternoon, a notification will be sent out to those who have signed up via landline, cell phone or email.
Town Manager of Communications Alex Denonville says the test is designed as a practice run to identify any gaps in the system, prior to a real emergency.
"It would be used for weather emergencies, flooding, gas leaks or any situation where the town needs to notify residents immediately," says Denonville.
So far, over 500 people have signed up and there is close to 6,000 households or individuals that will get the alert including phone numbers from the white pages.
The town launched the service March 19th and costs the town just over $8,000 per year to operate.
Essex residents are still encouraged to sign up for the emergency notification system. CLICK HERE to find the online sign-up page.
Kingsville, Leamington, Amherstburg, LaSalle and Tecumseh all have the same system.