County subscribes to alert system
ANGLETON — Brazoria County residents
can get storm updates, road closure reports and tax
deadlines sent to them under a new program the county
started Wednesday.
Residents who register on the county’s Web site can get
the information sent to their e-mail address, cell phone
or pager, through an agreement with GroupBuilder.net, a
Friendswood company that specializes in wireless alerts.
“I’ve already got the evacuation map up there,” said
Rick Perry, the county’s emergency management
coordinator.
While storm alerts might be the most exciting news to
come over the service, clients will get notice of other
events such as accidents that close roads, information
on marriage licenses and car registrations, Brazoria
County Judge John Willy said.
“We’ll have a meeting with department heads and decide
what needs to go on there,” Willy said. “If there’s a
West Nile virus-type situation, people need to know
about it. It gives them a flash of what people need to
watch for.”
GroupBuilder.net’s Brenda Reed said the city of Freeport
and the Brazosport Chamber of Commerce already use the
service.
“This information is information that comes directly
from the source,” Reed said. “It’s quick and it’s
accurate.”
GroupBuilder.net has been doing alerts for eight years and
designed Harris County’s Amber Alert system, Reed said.
The system is free to users. The county is paying GroupBuilder.net $5,000 a year to subscribe to the service, which
Willy said is a bargain.
“There’s just any number of things it can be used for,”
Willy said.
To sign up for the alerts, go to
www.brazoria-county.com.
