On July 1, 2021, Story County Iowa Alerts transitioned to the Rave Public Safety (RAVE/Smart911) platform for public emergency notification. At the time of the transition, data from the previous notification system called the “WENS system” was migrated to the new system.
“The information brought over from the WENS system only provided phone numbers and names. That data does not allow us to include those individuals when sending specific geographical alerts to them,” explained Melissa Spencer, Story County Emergency Management Coordinator.
At noon on March 31, 2023, individuals who have not signed up with the RAVE/Smart911 system through an opt-in text message or with a system registration will no longer receive emergency alerts from the Story County Iowa Alerts system.
Signing up on the RAVE/Smart911 system will provide subscribers tailored access to the specific alerts and the modes in which they wish to receive them. Individuals and families can set up a user profile for multiple family members, with multiple phone numbers and addresses. Once created, an account can choose to provide information about relevant health information assisting emergency management in identifying potential special response needs during a disaster or allow for specific emergency messaging.
To opt-in via text message, individuals can text the name of the community for which they want alerts, with the letters IA after it, to 672-83. For example, for emergency messages for Collins, text CollinsIA to 672-83.
“We encourage the citizens of Story County to sign up with the RAVE/Smart911 system before March 31st to ensure they can continue to be notified of emergencies that may affect their community or neighborhood.” Spencer continued, “If you have signed up already on the RAVE/Smart 911 system, there is no need to sign up again. For those who may need assistance with signing up, there is a video on the Story County Iowa Alerts webpage that will walk you through the process.”
For more information on the Story County Iowa Alerts program and the link to register, the public can visit the Story County Iowa Alerts Page at: https://www.storycountyiowa.gov/1155/Story-County-Iowa-Alerts
