Here's how to sign up for Polk County's new emergency alert system

Philip Joens, Des Moines Register
·2 min read

Polk County Emergency Management is switching alert systems next month and officials are asking local residents to sign up to receive notifications about severe weather and other emergencies.

Polk County 911 Coordinator Tracey Bearden said the county will switch from using CodeRED Emergency Alerts, with which the county has had a contract for over a decade, to Alert Iowa, an emergency notification system that contracts with the state of Iowa and 90 counties. Alert Iowa will be free for Polk County to use through the state.

Dallas County and Warren counties are among the central Iowa counties that already use Alert Iowa.

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"It's a free system for us, so it's a cost-savings benefit," Bearden said. "Additionally ... it is a little bit easier to use for sending out alerts."

What does the Polk County emergency alert system do?

Alert Iowa notifies users who sign up through phone calls, text messages and emails during emergencies.

Polk County Emergency Management will send alerts during environmental disasters, search and rescue missions, public safety situations (example: active shooters) and more.

Warnings issued by the National Weather Service will be relayed to users for blizzard warnings, high wind warnings, flash flood warnings, flood warnings, severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado warnings.

Users can select the alerts they want when they enroll.

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Polk County Emergency Management will use the alerts for all of its 911 coverage area, which also includes Waukee and Norwalk. Alerts will cover all of Urbandale and Clive, which have portions in Dallas and Polk Counties, and West Des Moines, which has portions in Dallas, Polk, Madison and Warren Counties, Bearden said.

The new system will become active with a test at noon Oct. 19.

How can you sign up for the Polk County emergency alert system?

Sign up on Polk County Emergency Management's website, polkcountyiowa.gov, where more information is available about the new system.

Users can opt-in by texting PolkIA to 672-83, but it signs them up for only severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings, Bearden said.

Online readers can also scan the QR code below, which will take them directly to the sign-up website.

Polk County residents can scan the QR code to sign up for alerts through Polk County's new emergency alert system.
Polk County residents can scan the QR code to sign up for alerts through Polk County's new emergency alert system.

Cities covered by Polk County Alert Iowa notifications

  • Alleman

  • Altoona

  • Ankeny

  • Bondurant

  • Clive

  • Des Moines

  • Elkhart

  • Grimes

  • Johnston

  • Mitchellville

  • Norwalk

  • Pleasant Hill

  • Polk City

  • Runnells

  • Urbandale

  • Waukee

  • West Des Moines

  • Windsor Heights

Philip Joens covers public safety, city government and RAGBRAI for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-443-3347 at pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens. 

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Polk County rolling out new emergency alert system, Alert Iowa

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