Citizen Alert Systems

Local governments work with COG to build and maintain citizen warning systems able to rapidly alert residents with vital information. The technology sends alerts to devices capable of receiving them, such as smartphones, most wireless phones, home land lines, computers, and tablets.

Local government emergency management experts issue alerts on a variety of topics such as severe weather, transportation advisories, and information on terrorist incidents. Residents may register their devices to receive alerts issued by one or more jurisdictions. If people work and live in different jurisdictions, they may wish to sign up for alerts from both places. To make it easier for residents to find and sign up for these alerts, the region created Capitalert with links to the different local government systems.