TL;DR: McLean County launched its own CodeRED emergency notification system to send targeted weather, public safety, highway and public health alerts by phone call, text and email, plus automatic push alerts to cell phones in affected zones.

County launches its own alert network

McLean County has launched its own emergency notification system, according to WGLT, which published its report on September 11, 2026 at 12:04 PM CDT.

The launch came shortly after mass communication platforms were implemented in Bloomington and Normal, according to that same WGLT report by Lauren Warnecke and Cole Loiacano.

The county system uses CodeRED, the same platform already used by Bloomington, according to WGLT.

CodeRED is capable of sending notifications through phone calls, text messages and emails, according to WGLT.

The CodeRED system will allow the county to send alerts by text message, email and telephone call, according to Cities 92.9, which reported the launch on September 8, 2026.

Notifications can be targeted to specific geographic areas so residents receive information relevant to their communities, according to Cities 92.9.

County officials said CodeRED will supplement, rather than replace, existing communication methods, according to Cities 92.9.

Who runs the system

The McLean County Emergency Management Agency, led by Director Cathy Beck, is administering the county system alongside other county users.

“Effective communication is an important part of public safety, particularly when circumstances are changing quickly,” Beck said, according to WGLT.

Beck added that CodeRED gives McLean County another tool to reach residents directly with important information, according to WGLT.

Beck encouraged residents to take a few minutes to register so they can receive notifications relevant to them, according to WGLT.

McLean County Emergency Management Director Cathy Beck said the system will provide another way to reach residents when conditions are changing quickly, according to Cities 92.9.

The McLean County Sheriff’s Office also has capability to send push notifications about weather and public safety emergencies, according to WGLT.

Bloomington, Normal and Illinois State University also have capability to send push notifications in the event of extreme weather, a public safety threat on campus or university closure, according to WGLT.

Unit 5 also recently launched a new notification system for families in the district, according to WGLT.

What alerts residents can receive

Residents can opt into weather, highway and health department notifications with the new system, according to WGLT.

The system also uses push notifications to automatically alert cell phones of weather and public safety emergencies in targeted sections of the county, according to WGLT.

The system will be used for emergencies such as severe weather, but participating county departments also will use it for other important updates, according to Cities 92.9.

Currently, the county health and highway departments will be among the countywide departments using the system to provide information to residents, according to WGLT.

The McLean County Health Department and Highway Department will be among the first departments to use CodeRED, according to Cities 92.9.

Highway and health department uses

The highway department may use CodeRED to notify residents in affected areas about road work, road closures or other significant transportation-related impacts, according to WGLT.

The Highway Department may send alerts about road construction, closures and other transportation impacts, according to Cities 92.9.

The health department may use the system to quickly share urgent public health information, according to WGLT.

The Health Department may use the system for urgent public health information, including disease outbreaks and other health emergencies, according to Cities 92.9.

Teams across Emergency Management, Public Health, and Highway will use CodeRED to share timely, targeted updates on severe weather, urgent public health information, road closures, transportation impacts, and more, according to a September 10, 2026 post from CodeRED by Crisis24 describing the McLean County launch.

Automatic push alerts work without sign-up

EMA and the McLean County Sheriff’s Office have the capability to send push notifications about weather and public safety emergencies whether or not residents have signed up for the service, according to WGLT.

Those county push alerts are in addition to alerts cell phone users may get from the National Weather Service, according to WGLT.

Beck said the county’s CodeRED system can be more targeted than the National Weather Service alerts, according to WGLT.

Beck said it will also allow the county to provide more geographic specificity in severe weather alerts than the push notifications coming from the National Weather Service, according to WGLT.

The system divides the county into four quadrants, which can receive customized notifications, with another geographic area targeting Bloomington-Normal, according to WGLT.

August storm showed the gap

The severe thunderstorms that struck Bloomington-Normal in August did not meet the threshold for sounding alarms, according to WGLT.

EMA could have used the alert system to advise people with cell phones in the area to take cover from those August storms, according to WGLT.

That capability includes residents and travelers moving through the county, according to WGLT.

The example illustrates why county officials sought a tool that can reach mobile phones in a defined impact area even when broader siren criteria are not met.

For households, the practical distinction is between outdoor sirens with a fixed trigger and phone-based geographic alerts that can follow a storm footprint.

Residents who commute, travel, or spend time outdoors retain National Weather Service wireless alerts, while the county layer adds local targeting by quadrant and Bloomington-Normal zone.

How to register and get help

Residents can register for McLean County CodeRED notifications online, according to WGLT.

Residents can now register for free CodeRED alerts at https://accountportal.onsolve.net/mcleancoil, according to Cities 92.9.

During registration, residents can provide contact information and select the geographic areas for which they want to receive notifications, according to Cities 92.9.

Alerts can be delivered to U.S. and international phone numbers and in English, French or Spanish, according to WGLT.

County officials encourage residents to register even if they already receive county information through other channels, according to Cities 92.9.

For assistance with registration, residents can contact McLean County Emergency Management Director Cathy Beck at 309-888-5020 or [email protected], according to Cities 92.9.

How county and city alerts fit together

Beck said there isn’t too much redundancy between the various services, according to WGLT.

She advised people to sign up for county alerts in addition to municipal alerts, according to WGLT.

Municipal alerts may include information about road closures and traffic or waste collection not covered by the county’s system, according to WGLT.

That guidance matters for preparedness planning because county, city, university and school channels cover different facilities, roads and populations.

A household that registers only for one system could miss highway closures, health notices, campus threats, school family messages, or city service updates handled elsewhere.

The county launch therefore expands the local warning mix rather than consolidating every Bloomington, Normal, Illinois State University and Unit 5 message into one feed.

Sources referenced