TYLER, Texas — There are many ways to be alerted when severe weather is near including the CBS19 weather app, social media and sirens.
Cities across East Texas are also utilizing a callback system, CodeRED, to help to alert residents who may be asleep during severe weather.
"If we were to activate CodeRED through our computers, then you would receive a call," Don Martin of the Tyler Police Department explained.
Longview Mayor Andy Mack considers it an important safety feature that can save your life.
"This will keep you informed when there's emergency weather and you don't know what's going on," Mack said. "Because most of the time at two in the morning, we don't realize that there's a storm brewing or there's a tornado alert or something, high winds, any reason for us to take shelter."
If the city officials believe that a tornado may hit the city, they can activate CodeRED which will call subscribers to alert them.
The system can also target certain people.
"Let's say that the storms are on a track of just south Tyler, and they're just going to touch the bottom portion of it and they're not going to be up in north Tyler, we may not call all the people up in this area," Martin said. "We would just call the south part of town."
If you have a home phone that is in the city's directory then you will automatically receive a call.
If you have a cell phone then you can register free here. You can also download an app.