GRAVETTE — The Benton County Alert System has had a real workout during the past week with tornado, severe thunderstorm and hail warnings affecting various parts of the county.
The Alert System has been in place several months and all land-line phone customers are automatically notified when such weather warnings are issued by the National Weather Service.
Eastern Benton County residents received a “severe thunderstorm warning” on Thursday evening through the system.
On Friday evening, Gentry, Decatur and Siloam Springs were all alerted of a possible tornado, andthe warning was also sent to residents in the adjacent Gravette area.
On Sunday, flood warnings began to be issued through the system.
Nathan Garrity, one of the CenCom officials involved with the system, explained that the warnings come from “BEAlert” which allows warnings to be issued in specific locations as occurred last week, or countywide if necessary as determined by BC criteria.
Questions have arisen about notification of cell phone users. Garrity explained that persons with cell phones, pagers, Blackberry, PDA and/or e-mail accounts can be entered into the system for notification by signing up for a BC Alert Account.
To register and to sign up, go to the BCAlert.com website which gives complete instructions. Land-line phone users are automatically entered in the system, it was emphasized. There is no charge.
Questions Answered
◊What is BC Alert?
BC Alert is a software application used to send emergency alerts, notifications and updates to your cell phone, pager, Blackberry, PDA and/or e-mail account. In the event of an emergency, such as a fire or September 11-type attack, Benton County will be able to send important alerts and updates right to your cell phone or mobile device. All you have to do is sign up for a BC Alert account.
◊ What is a BC Alert Account?
Each person may sign up for a BC Alert account. You can add multiple devices (cell phones, pagers, PDAs) to a BC Alert account. Alerts can be sent to all devices listed in your BC Alert account.
◊What types of alerts will be sent?
Alert types may include life safety, fire, weather, accidents involving utilities or roadways, team activation notifications or disaster notifications such as a terrorist attack, location of emergency shelters, activation of special teams if needed, as well as weather alerts.
◊Will my cell phone work?
BC Alert uses the text messaging (SMS network) feature of your cellphone to deliver alerts. The alerts come across like a page on a pager. All cell phone carriers and paging companies offer text messaging. Nearly all phones purchased within the past few years are text messaging capable. If youare unsure, contact your carrier to ask about your phone and text messaging.
If you have problems, or do not have access to e-mail, you may call 479-271-1004 for information and assistance.
News, Pages 2 on 04/27/2011