AN EMERGENCY three-digit number has been initiated by the San Fernando City Corporation for anyone needing immediate help or wanting information on the city.

The toll fee number—211—was launched yesterday at the auditorium of the San Fernando City Hall.

It is the first of its kind to be introduced by any corporation in this country.

Information such as the procedure for applying to use City Hall's auditorium or finding out why garbage has not been collected in your neighbourhood can be answered.

The city partnered with the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) for the project. All calls will be directed to the sister island.

John Prince, chairman of the board of directors of the Information Technology Centre Ltd of the THA, and members of the THA were present for the launch.

Mayor Marlene Coudray said last year, when she was CEO, members of the 14 corporations were invited to Tobago to view the operations of the centre.

"To some people it was an outing ... but we in San Fernando were determined to make the best of that visit," Coudray said.

She thanked former mayor Kenneth Ferguson who gave approval for the project when he was in office.

Coudray said she continued with the effort when nothing further was done.

Coudray said the city will benefit from this new service at the local government level. She said it was one of the ways of "branding" San Fernando.

An official website for the city, sancity.com, was also launched, making San Fernando the first city to offer such a service to the public.

The corporation also introduced its page created on the popular social network Facebook.