City Of Ames: Story County Residents Must Register To Receive Emergency Alerts

Press release from the City of Ames:

07/07/2021 5:00 PM

Story County has replaced its Story County Iowa Alert system with Alert Iowa, a new emergency notification system with enhanced features. With this switch, residents will have access to new functions and can create one user account for an entire family that includes multiple addresses and phone numbers. Participants may also opt-in to receive weather alerts from the National Weather Service.

To access these features, you must register for a new account. “It’s very important that everyone register for the new system,” said Ames Fire Chief Rich Higgins. “Even if you had registered for alert notifications in the past, it’s likely that data didn’t transfer completely with the change. To ensure you are still in the system and will be notified during an emergency, you must register.”

The new provider, RAVE Public Safety, began providing service on July 1. Three options are available for residents to sign up:

Once created, an account can choose to provide information about relevant health information that will assist emergency management identify potential special response needs during a disaster or allow for specific emergency messaging. Downloading and enabling the Smart911 App also allows individuals to receive emergency notifications “on the go” anywhere RAVE is used by local emergency management.

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 Ames, text AmesIA. Once you have opted in via text message you will get a reply with a link to complete your account profile to subscribe to additional notifications from Alert Iowa.

This press release was produced by the City of Ames. The views expressed here are the author’s own.