Area emergency management leaders can now reach more people during emergencies thanks to a new paging system.

Coffee, Covington, Dale, Geneva, Henry and Houston Counties are now the front-runners in a paging emergency response system that targets the deaf.

Under the program EMA officials will send alerts through pages to the hearing-impaired.

Those who qualify and choose to get the alert service will receive a Graylink pager that tells when a storm or other emergency is near their home.

In order to receive the paging system, they must first get a certificate from the Alabama Institute of the Deaf and Blind and a pager from Graylink Wireless.

There will be $5 monthly service fee.