MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama has activated a statewide system intended to deliver faster warnings about flooding and other disasters, but the state’s most important message to residents is also its simplest: Direct alerts will not reach everyone unless they voluntarily enroll.
Gov. Kay Ivey announced the activation Aug. 25, saying the program is designed to expand access to warnings of floods and other disasters. Alerts are to be sent to registered residents through cellphones and landlines and also shared through local television and radio stations.
“The watchword for all Alabamians is preparedness, and the activation of the new statewide notification system will provide the most effective tools for all our citizens to be prepared in the event of catastrophic floods and other disasters,” Ivey said in announcing the system. “I encourage all Alabamians to sign up for the new alert system today.”
The emphasis on signing up matters. The system is not an automatic alert sent to every phone in the state. To receive notifications directly from the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, residents must opt in through the agency’s ALalert webpage or by texting “ALalert” to 77295. Residents who want general preparedness information rather than emergency notifications can text “ALinfo” to the same number.
The program grew out of Ivey’s January pledge to establish a statewide flood-notification system after deadly flooding in Texas killed Alabama camper Sarah Marsh. Ivey announced an initial $1.2 million investment and said the state would work with the Alabama Emergency Management Agency and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to put the program in place in all 67 counties.
The governor’s office has said the project enhances an existing statewide emergency-notification system administered by Alabama EMA and will be used to support the flood-warning initiative. The Legislature also passed the Sarah Marsh Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act, which takes effect Jan. 1 and requires Alabama camps to obtain emergency-preparedness licenses, maintain NOAA Weather Radios and use emergency-notification systems that do not depend on an internet connection.
For residents wary of providing information to another government-connected service, the enrollment process deserves a closer look rather than a reflexive dismissal. Alabama EMA’s online sign-up link directs users to Smart911, a private emergency-communications platform. Smart911 says it does not sell Safety Profile information to third parties or marketers, but its privacy policy says information may be made available to participating emergency-service providers during specific emergencies and that names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses may be used by authorized users to send emergency and general-interest notifications.
That makes the voluntary nature of the system central: Residents can decide whether to register, what information to provide and which notification options they want. Smart911 says users can provide as much or as little profile information as they choose, though its alert and safety-profile features are designed to help participating emergency agencies contact or assist them.
The new enrollment system also should not be confused with Wireless Emergency Alerts, the loud, text-like messages that can appear automatically on many phones during imminent threats, Amber Alerts and presidential alerts. Alabama EMA says people do not have to sign up for Wireless Emergency Alerts, which are broadcast from cell towers to compatible phones in a danger area and are not designed to track the recipient’s location.
That distinction may be reassuring to privacy-conscious residents: Enrolling in ALalert is a choice, while standard wireless alerts remain a separate public-safety tool. But opting out of the state’s new direct-notification system also means losing one more route for receiving official information when conditions are changing quickly.
Flooding is a particularly consequential risk in Alabama, a state with more than 77,000 miles of rivers and streams, according to the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.
And the danger can arrive in what looks like a manageable amount of water. The National Weather Service says just 6 inches of fast-moving floodwater can knock an adult off their feet, while 18 inches can sweep away most vehicles, including pickups and SUVs. Its advice remains blunt: “Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”
Residents can enroll by visiting the ALalert section of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency website or by texting “ALalert” to 77295.