San Luis Obispo County residents can now receive real-time alerts of severe weather, road closures and power outages through AlertSLO, a new county-wide mass notification system, according to a press release from the San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services.
Since its launch on Jan. 15, the system has sent four notifications, including one about the atmospheric river system currently affecting the county. That specific alert provided residents with tips on how to prepare and stay safe during the storm, said Anita Konopa, San Luis Obispo County Emergency Services coordinator.
“The more prepared a person can be in advance, the more they’re going to be able to respond in the moment,” Konopa said. “It’s another way to ensure that the public is getting an important message from us where they don’t have to go hunt the information, but it’s coming to them.”
Around 4,000 people have registered for AlertSLO, Konopa said, with most users opting to receive all available alerts. The free service offers notifications via text message or email. In addition to San Luis Obispo, the service provides updates for Pismo Beach, Grover Beach and four other towns in the county.
“That means people actually do want as much information as possible being pushed to them,” Konopa said. “We’re really hoping this allows people to learn about those types of things that are going to impact your life but that aren’t an emergency.”
The software also allows Konopa to track where users have signed up from. She noted that users are well distributed throughout the county.
San Luis Obispo Public Communications Manager Whitney Szentesi emphasized the system’s benefits.
“That way community members will get the right information that impacts them at the right time,” Szentesi said.
To register, users must input their address, contact method and language preference, as well as select which issues they want alerts for: weather warnings, road closures or power outages.
