The City of New Bern has partnered with CivicReady to implement a mass notification and emergency messaging solution called “New Bern Alerts.” This platform is free to subscribers and is available as a mobile app for Android and iOS users called “myAlerts.”
New Bern Alerts allows the City to issue urgent notifications, emergency instructions, warnings, and routine communications to subscribers via email, text message, and voicemail alert, to keep citizens safe and informed. In the event of a local emergency, citizens subscribed to New Bern Alerts will benefit from immediate, actionable information and instructions sent via their preferred notification channel. Subscribers will also receive weather alerts from the National Weather Service.
Other, more routine information from the City is provided to subscribers based on their preferences. The platform offers 14 categories to choose from including: Street Closures, Parks & Facilities, Summer Camps, New Bern 101, Resiliency, New Bern Police Department (non-emergency), New Bern Fire-Rescue (non-emergency), Trash/Bulk Waste/Leaf & Limb Pickup, General Info, Emergency Alerts, Recreation Programs, City Events, Aquatics, and Afterschool Activities.
New Bern Alerts also features geotargeting, which allows the City to reach users within a specific geographical area to communicate emergency information. An example of this type of usage would be to send an evacuation alert to subscribers within a certain area in the event of a gas leak.
Residents who are interested in subscribing can download the “myAlerts” app or register for an account at newbernnc.gov. Please note, the “myAlerts” mobile app allows the user to receive weather alerts and geotargeted alerts. To select routine information from the categories above requires registration of an account through the website link.
By Colleen Roberts, Public Information Officer