Dubuque County is set to begin using Alert Iowa, the state’s emergency notification system, to notify residents of severe weather and other emergencies. All county residents are asked to sign up now to receive these critical emergency alerts.

The system will enable Dubuque County officials to better communicate emergency information directly to citizens via voice call, text message, email, and social media.

“Alert Iowa is a great tool that allows us to push official, real-time alerts directly to our residents during an emergency,” said Director of Dubuque County’s Emergency Management Tom Berger. “The system makes it easy for us to notify our residents when emergencies happen and allows residents to choose the best way for them to receive alerts with crucial information to remain safe.”

Individual cities within Dubuque County will also be able to utilize Alert Iowa notifications for city-specific alerts. For example, the City of Dubuque will allow residents to opt-in to be notified when the City’s odd/even snow route parking policy goes into effect.

Alert Iowa will replace CodeRED, the County’s current emergency notification tool. All residents, even those who are already registered to receive CodeRED alerts with the county’s current system, will need to sign up their cellular number to receive alerts. Landlines will automatically be registered by the state. Dubuque County is asking residents sign up now to be prepared for potential future emergencies.

Signing up for Alert Iowa is easy and can be done by:

  • Creating an account at https://bit.ly/DubuqueAlerts.
  • Texting “DubuqueIA” to 672-83.
  • Downloading the Smart911 app from the Apple or Google Play stores.

Smart911 is an additional, free, optional service that gives residents the opportunity to provide information to emergency responders prior to an emergency to enable faster and more informed responses to emergency situations. Smart911 is connected to Alert Iowa and signing up on the platform will allow residents to receive Alert Iowa notifications.

To learn more about Alert Iowa in Dubuque County, visit https://bit.ly/DubuqueAlerts. Additional information on the system is available at www.homelandsecurity.iowa.gov.

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