If the first method of contact does not work, the system automatically tries alternates set by the individual, such as a home phone, cell phone, e-mail address, wireless e-mail device or a pager, MessageOne said.

"AlertFind is fairly new to our chapter. We just got on board with it in August in terms of using the system," Magnuson said. "Last week was the first time we put it into any type of action because of Tropical Storm Ernesto.

"Initially, we used it to send some test alerts to our disaster leadership so they'd be familiar with the system," he said. "We activated the AlertFind system and notified the volunteers [for] Tropical Storm Ernesto that we would be opening up our disaster operations center at a particular time. Just a very limited number of people received that alert. Then we alerted our leadership and our key volunteers that we were standing down our operation for Ernesto."

For future emergencies, the chapter plans to activate several hundred volunteers via AlertFind, Magnuson said.