Polk, Dallas counties to adopt unified emergency alert system
DES MOINES, Iowa —
Polk and Dallas county emergency officials are preparing residents for a shift in how they receive important safety alerts.
Starting at the end of September, both counties will transition to a single public safety opt-in list within the Smart 911 alerting system.
Residents who are already signed up for alerts from individual cities will need to subscribe to the new Public Safety list to continue receiving those alerts.
Officials say the “change creates a faster, more consistent alerting process during emergencies.”
Click here to sign up for alerts on incidents or events including, according to local officials:
- Severe Weather Alerts: Tornado, Severe Thunderstorm, Flood, Flash Flood, High Wind, and Blizzard Warnings.
- Environmental and Natural Disasters: Floods, Dangerous Water Conditions, Water Safety Alerts, Dam/Levee Breaks
- Search and Rescue: Missing Children, Missing Elderly, Missing Disabled, Evacuation Notices, Evacuation Routes
- Crime: Law Enforcement Activities, Prisoner Escape Warning, Neighborhood Crime Watches
- Man-Made Disasters: Terrorism Threats, Bomb Threats, Nuclear Hazards, Bio Terrorism Threats, Chemical Spills, Hazardous Material Emergencies, Gas Leaks, Hostage Situations
- Public Works: Drinking Water Contamination, Utility Outages, Street Closings, Public Notifications
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