How to adjust your city of Richmond emergency alert settings
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Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
Richmond's newly launched emergency alert system seems to be off to an aggressive start.
Why it matters: If you're looking to adjust your alert settings, we've got you covered.
Catch up quick: Richmond launched its Richmond Ready Alerts on Feb. 3, just a few weeks after the city's week-long water crisis.
- The new system from third-party vendor Everbridge replaced CodeRed. It allows the city to send out alerts for more types of emergencies, like days-long utility outages and public safety incidents, in addition to severe weather.
- And the city seems to have embraced the new system, sending out 15 emergency alerts since launch ... 13 of which went out over the weekend, per the ones your Axios Richmond reporters received.
- Those weekend alerts included one for a storm in Massachusetts and two for Richmond's impending winter weather... at 3:27am on Tuesday.
How it works: Weather alerts are automatically generated by the National Weather Service, city spokesperson Julian Walker tells Axios.
- Public assembly alerts are manually created by city staffers to "inform residents about potential disruptions or safety concerns related to gatherings." Richmond's sent one since launch.
If social media is any indication, some locals (and Karri) misunderstood the signup form and accidentally opted-in to getting alerts via text, phone and email... so those 13 alerts came through in triplicate.
- That includes the two at 3:27am, which came through for some as two texts, two phone calls, and two voicemail alerts. At 3:27am.
The fine print: You can edit your notification settings and add do not call/text times.
- To opt out of calls, texts or emails / or to just be notified one way, delete out all the ways you don't want alerts under "my profile."
- To add times you don't want to be alerted (like 3:27am!), edit the "my subscriptions" field and pick your do not contact times.
Fun fact: More than 2,000 people signed up for the alerts during launch week, Walker says.
What's next: If you want to get in on the Richmond Ready Alerts action, sign up by texting RVAREADY to 888-777 or online at rva.gov/richmondreadyalerts.
- Pro tip: Just add one way to contact you on the front end.