Washington announces text alerts for snow parking

WASHINGTON — The city of Washington has announced a new, opt-in text alert system for residents in the downtown area to receive notifications about snow events requiring them to move their vehicles off the street.

Police Chief Jim Lester said he hoped the technology — coordinated with Washington County Emergency Management — would help keep residents in the loop as winter weather arrives.

“We've done our best to notify residents of the snow removal process and when it is going to happen via local media and use of the PD Facebook page,” he said in an email. “Having this alert notification system as a tool to help improve that communication … helps with the notification process and hopefully in the end allows for the maintenance department to better get the streets cleared, which is the ultimate goal.”

To opt into the text alerts, residents can text WASHIOWAPARKING to 67283.

AlertIowa has a number of other notification options available for the community, available through email, text, and voice messages based on a user’s address. A link to that sign-up page is available in the online version of this article.

Lester said the text alert system could serve as a test run for other community-specific setups coordinated with the county.

“If it works well, I can see us working more with Emergency Management in promoting the mass notification system to keep residents informed,” he said. “When people opt-in using the website, they also have the option of signing up for severe weather warnings based on their home address.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com