Carroll, Audubon, Calhoun, Greene, Guthrie and Sac are six of 90 counties participating in Iowa’s emergency notification system, known as Alert Iowa. This statewide system enables officials to communicate emergency information directly to citizens, but has undergone an upgrade that requires residents to sign up again to continue to receive important notifications. “Through Alert Iowa, millions of emergency and public safety messages have been delivered to Iowans,” says Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director, Paul Trombino. “This technology will give Iowans the ability to receive important emergency and safety information in the ways that they choose when it matters most.” Alert Iowa has been in place since 2014 and the upgrades were completed this month. Residents can sign up through a web portal, via text message or by downloading an app. They can also choose how to receive alerts, including by voice call, email or text and may be able to select receipt in their preferred language. There is also an option to provide information to an access/functional needs registry for participating counties. A link to the Alert Iowa website for more information and to sign up or re-sign up can be found below.
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Link to Alert Iowa signup guide: https://homelandsecurity.iowa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Alert_Iowa_Sign-up_Process.pdf
