Be prepared for severe weather season with NotifyJoCo
to stay safe and informed
New website for NotifyJoCo is component of plan to increase participation by anyone with an interest in Johnson County.
JOHNSON COUNTY, KAN. (March 1, 2019) — The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners has proclaimed March 4-8 as Severe Weather Awareness Week. It’s the ideal time to sign up for emergency alerts from NotifyJoCo or update information in the system. Anyone with an interest in Johnson County can text NOTIFYJOCO (all one word) to 888777 to begin receiving countywide alerts on their mobile device.
A test and evaluation of NotifyJoCo will take place at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 5 when Johnson County will distribute messages to those who have signed up. In the event of severe weather on March 5, the county will delay the test until Thursday, March 7 at 10 a.m.
Johnson County Government, WaterOne and several cities have been using NotifyJoCo for six years to keep residents safe and informed with quick and reliable emergency notifications and public service announcements about emergencies and other events happening near them.
Residents can identify up to five locations about which they would like to receive alerts (as an example, work, home, or their child’s school). NotifyJoCo alerts individuals about a variety of events, ranging from severe weather, fires, floods and other emergencies, to more routine announcements, such as road closures and water utility maintenance, depending on which options users choose when they sign-up. Residents receive notifications based on their preferences — cell phone, text, home phone and/or email — ensuring real-time access to potentially lifesaving information.
“We have a commitment to ensure public safety, community awareness and emergency response. In order to uphold this, we must be able to reach our citizens as quickly and reliably as possible when there is critical information that needs to go out,” said Dan Robeson, deputy director of Emergency Management. “NotifyJoCo allows us to disseminate this information across all types of devices, ensuring residents have access to real-time safety information when they need it the most.”
Users have three easy ways to sign up for NotifyJoCo alerts:
- Text NOTIFYJOCO (all one word) to 888777 to instantly register for countywide alerts via text message to a mobile device. Standard text messaging rates will apply.
- Go to notifyjoco.org and customize alerts for up to five designated locations and select the preferred communication methods (phone, text, email). Users can also opt-in for a variety of non-emergency messages.
- Call 913-826-5555 to register for alerts.
While the system does have access to nearly 193,000 business and residential landlines numbers in the 911 database for emergency notification, all Johnson County residents are encouraged to sign up for NotifyJoCo or to confirm their information is current, ensuring they receive emergency alerts for their preferred locations and delivery methods.
NotifyJoCo is free to the public and is used by Johnson County Government, WaterOne, Aubrey Township, Consolidated Fire District #2, NW Consolidated Fire District and the cities of Edgerton, Leawood, Lenexa, Merriam, Mission, Mission Hills, Olathe, Overland Park, Prairie Village, Roeland Park and Shawnee. The entities work with Everbridge, a leading firm in emergency management and incident alert systems, to provide the service.