When bad weather looms, or wildfires spark, you need to receive accurate and timely information from the source, to keep yourself and your family safe. Sheriff Jim Yon and his staff have put together the following list of sources, that area law enforcement agencies, fire departments, schools, and governments use to send alerts to the public. Many of the alerts are customizable, and “push” information to your email or smart phone. All are free for you to sign up.
Linn-Benton ALERT: The Linn-Benton ALERT Emergency Notification System is a mass notification system that allows public safety officials to provide rapid notifications to Linn and Benton County residents of emergencies, evacuations, and other urgent events.
FlashAlert: Schools, banks, parks and recreation departments, law enforcement and a multitude of other agencies use FlashAlert to push regular news updates, as well as critical emergency information, to those users that follow/subscribe to an agency’s alerts. Users can receive alerts to their email, cell phone, and through a smartphone app.
Smart Phone Government/AMBER Alerts for Apple & Android devices: In the United States, smartphones can receive emergency and AMBER alerts. In the event of an emergency, you can receive alerts issued by the President or government agencies, Alerts involving imminent threats to safety or life, AMBER alerts, and alerts for extreme weather conditions. By enabling these alerts (which are enabled by default on most smartphones), your GPS and wireless signal location enrolls you in location-based alerts sent by issuing agencies. No signup is required.
Facebook: With over 1 Billion users worldwide, schools, and government agencies go to where their patrons are – Facebook. Find your children’s schools, your employer, local police agency and fire department, city and county governments, and transportation authorities on Facebook — then click Like. That will mean you will be sure to receive news and critical updates on your feed when something is posted. Click for the Linn County Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page.
Nixle: One of the newer push notification services in use by schools and other government agencies is Nixle. While similar to FlashAlert, the messages can include rich media, as well as longer statements in the information alert. Click the link to learn how to sign up by your zip code.
National Weather Service Email/SMS Alert System: The best way to be prepared is to have the knowledge, and time, to prepare for whats coming. Sign up for alerts from NOAA and the National Weather Service to have a heads up on upcoming weather related emergencies.