SCOTT ROBERTS
KSStorm.Info
In the past few years, most Kansas counties have implemented resident notification systems. The most widespread of these is Everbridge, which is in use in Reno County and a consotrium of surrounding counties.
The Everbridge platform can call you with alerts for a wide range of public safety incidents, whether natural or man-made. For example, you could receive a notification for severe weather, a wildfire, or flooding. You also can choose to receive updates from participating municipalities for non-emergent issues, such as road closures or utility maintenance in your city.
Reno County and Hutchinson use Everbridge Resident Alerts to communicate with citizens during emergencies and other critical events. This system replaces the CivicReady system which was previously used. To receive these notifications, you must opt-in by entering your contact information and subscribe to notifications. The service is free.
This system is funded jointly by these counties: Barber, Barton, Comanche, Edwards, Harvey, Pawnee, Rice, Stafford, and Sumner. This system will provide you with critical information quickly in a variety of situations, such as severe weather, unexpected road closures, missing persons and evacuations of buildings or neighborhoods. It is keyed to the location you setup when you sign up.
The benefits of subscribing to such a system are manifold. Firstly, it offers peace of mind. Knowing that you’ll be informed of potential dangers in real-time allows you to prepare or evacuate as needed. Secondly, it’s about convenience. With alerts tailored to your preferred communication methods, you won’t miss critical updates. Lastly, it fosters a sense of community safety. When everyone is well-informed, the entire community can respond more effectively to emergencies.
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While each of these have a cost, they can form another layer in your warning system. We are not affiliated with any of these, and do not endorse one over any other.
When a severe weather warning includes your location, you will receive a phone call from WeatherCall®. It doesn’t matter what time of day, or if it is a weekend, you will receive a call. You can also receive the warning by email with a detailed map of the threat or by text message. (Information from the WeatherCall® website.)
Aware by weatherUSA® is a real-time weather alert service that sends out weather warnings, watches, tropical alerts, and other advisories as soon as they are issued by federal agencies including the National Weather Service. Alerts are sent to subscribers in the warned areas to a mobile device via text messages (SMS) or by e-mail. Premium users can also receive alerts via voice (phone) call.
You can select warnings to receive based on county or state for local weather warnings; national advisories such as tropical storm and hurricane advisories are also available. For text messaging, you can even select a “quiet time” when you do not want to receive notifications. At the moment, our service provides alerts for any location in the United States. (Information from the WeatherUSA website.)
Does this Mean Older Methods are Obsolete? Absolutely not. The difference is that older methods are more broad in their coverage than the newer ones. The EAGLE Media stations make an effort to be on the radio with warnings when they are effective for anywhere in Reno County. These previous services are tailored to specific addresses.
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