Recently a downed tree on Highway 176 caused travel delays for many Polk County residents.

In the future, this type of event will be something that Polk County residents can be alerted to through an emergency alert system called Everbridge.

Earlier this year Polk County Local Government announced it would transition to the Everbridge system. If you haven’t signed up for this system, which is an improved way of receiving vital information, you can by visiting https://member.everbridge.net/index/565565588504592.

Everbridge is designed to alert residents and visitors about a variety of situations such as severe weather, fires, floods, law enforcement emergencies, large-scale power outages or maintenance, community health announcements and more. Everbridge users can customize the types of alerts they want to receive.

Among the features of the new platform are multiple contact methods, two-way communication and updated weather alerts. Polk County Local Government will manage the tool in coordination with other area departments and agencies.

Messages will be sent to Everbridge users through their preferred contact paths – cell phone, SMS (text), home phone, email and more – to ensure real-time access to potentially lifesaving information. Residents listed in the 911 database will be automatically subscribed to Everbridge alerts by phone