County updates emergency alert system

Hays County residents who signed up for emergency alerts will now see a new phone number when they receive a call or text from the system.

The Hays County Emergency Alerts system is designed to instantly inform citizens about important and potentially life-saving information, according to the Office of Emergency Services. Individuals who have already signed up to receive these alerts are encouraged to add (737) 214-1420 to their phone contacts to ensure they see messages from the new number moving forward.

According to Emergency Services Planner Laurie Taylor, the change stems from the vendor Hays County uses. “We use an emergency alert system called Everbridge,” Taylor said. “Now we have a new phone number that will come up on your smartphone, and we don’t want anyone to miss out on emergency messages because they don’t recognize the number.”

She explained that creating or updating a contact for the warning system will help ensure that those signed up for alerts know when they receive one because it will be pre-programmed into their phone contact list.

Taylor said the outreach on this important message is a good time to get other county residents to sign up to receive alerts, which include weather warnings and other emergency information.

“Just visit warncentraltexas. org, and sign up,” she said. “It’s easy, free and could save your life.”

Some residents within the county may also receive alerts from their municipality if they live within a city’s limits. Some of those entities have their own emergency alert number. OES recommended adding those different numbers to phone contacts to ensure alerts don’t get lost or ignored.

For more information about Hays County and its programs, visit hayscountytx. com.