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Sioux City Asking Residents to Sign up for Emergency Alerts

"Most everyone has a smartphone in their hand, so to be able to text an alert regarding snow emergencies or water main breaks in specific neighborhoods, that's something that makes a lot of sense to be able to provide that option to our citizens.

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(TNS) - The City of Sioux City is encouraging residents to sign up for CodeRED, an emergency management platform that delivers alerts related to snow emergencies, boil water warnings and water main breaks via phone call, text message, email and social media posts.
 
About a year ago, Anne Westra, communications and public engagement specialist for the city, said the city began using CodeRED to inform residents of urgent matters.
 
Westra said CodeRED is just another tool that the city can use to "meet people where they are." She noted that some residents don't use social media channels or don't pay attention to news reports.
 
"Most everyone has a smartphone in their hand, so to be able to text an alert regarding snow emergencies or water main breaks in specific neighborhoods, that's something that makes a lot of sense to be able to provide that option to our citizens," she said.
 
In the case of a water main break, Westra said utilities staff do go knock on doors to communicate one on one with affected residents, but she noted residents aren't always home when they arrive.
 
If residents sign up for CodeRED, and then, a water main breaks in their neighborhood, they'll receive an alert about their water being shut off, for example.
 
Residents can register by visiting bit.ly/3ttek77 or enrolling via cell phone by texting AlertSiouxCity to 99411.
 
"It's really quick and simple if you just text AlertSiouxCity to that number," Westra said. "If you want to do it via desktop, that's fine, too."
 
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