When disasters strike, timing is everything -- from weather forecasts to warnings for those in the path of danger. All 64 counties in Colorado have some version of a reverse 911 notification system, but many parts of the state don't have cellular coverage to receive those messages. That is why some counties, like Jefferson County, have multiple ways to notify residents when there's an emergency.

"We're seeing a definite shift in how we do communication," said Nathan Whittington, Emergency Manager for Jefferson County.

Whittington explained JeffCo's reverse 911 notification system Lookout Alert is one way the county can warn residents of an emergency situation.

"It's an opt-in, ready-based system so that if there is a problem or an issue in your neighborhood or area ... we can alert you through that network to say, 'get out' or 'shelter in place,'" he said.

However, the fourth-most populated county in the state has residents in rural and urban communities, so it can't just rely on one notification system. Whittington said they also depend on deputies going door to door, especially in mountain neighborhoods.

"We can also utilize the WEA, the wireless emergency alert system -- so we can create a zone, and we can blast cellphone, phone, and email to those individuals even if they're not registered," Whittington said.

It is a multi-layered approach that has evolved over the years, adjusting with every local and even national emergency response.

"We reviewed [after action reports] from the fires in Maui, the Marshall Fire," said Whittington. "We've taken those lessons learned from the 2013 floods that happened in Boulder, here in Jefferson County ... all those areas so that we're constantly changing and evolving our tactics."

With the recent devastating and deadly flash flood in Texas, some are raising concerns about reaching people in harm's way during overnight hours and areas with no warning systems.

"We had this exact same experience -- not with flood but with fire -- during the Quarry Fire," said Whittington. "We were evacuating people at 2 in the morning, that was our initial evacuation. We made a decision right thenre to issue the alerts, issue the WEA, and start our deputies doing door to door notifications to get people out of that area."

Knowing a disaster can strike at any time, JeffCo is constantly working with other local, state, and federal agencies to improve their emergency plans.

"We also have a great working relationship with our National Weather Service partners," added Whittington. "We are regularly updated from the NWS and we update them with what we're seeing in the field as well on a regular basis, on a daily basis."

Still, he said, there is also a great responsibility on Coloradans to be prepared.

"It all comes down to the four legs of a chair," said Whittington. "The community members have got to be prepared, that's the first leg. The county, we got to be that second leg of the chair. Then, you've go to be state supported and federally supported as well. If any of those legs of the chair don't work, there's nothing you can do. It's going to be a bad day."

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