Be sure to sign up for ‘Jones County Alerts’

   “Jones Co. Emergency: Shelter in place until further notice due to incident in Monticello this morning.”

   That was the text message I received over my cell phone at 9:29 a.m. on Tuesday morning, Nov. 7.

   Then, at 10:43 a.m., I received a follow-up: “Jones Co. Emergency: Shelter in place has been lifted. Incident is cleared.”

   Many people have said they did not receive this text message that morning. Well, you can sign up for it, along with all of your loved ones.

   Brenda Leonard with Jones County Emergency Management (EMA) started offering this service to Jones County residents back in early 2015. A Feb. 25, 2015, article on the front page of the Monticello Express explained all about it…

   You can sign up for FREE service by going to the Jones County EMA webpage (www.jonescountyiowa.gov/emergency_management) and click on “Jones County Alerts.” Once you’ve been redirected, click the orange “Sign Up” button and it’ll take you to an electronic form.

   I have been signed up since May 2015.

   “Jones County Alerts” notifies you in the case of an emergency, such as what took place in Monticello on Nov. 7, as well as any kind of severe weather such as a blizzard, storm, flood, tornado, or winter storm.

   All of the text alerts you will receive from the service will come from the number “69310.”

   When signing up, you can also pinpoint the communities throughout the county you wish to be notified about, such as: Amber, Hale, Monticello, Scotch grove, Stone City, Wyoming, etc.

   All of the personal information you provide remains confidential.

   While the online form specifies about emergency weather events, the service automatically sends out emergency notifications that are not weather related, much like the shelter-in-place text on Nov. 7. In that case, Brenda Leonard can select certain areas of the county to receive an alert, such as just those in Monticello.

   Over the past eight years I’ve been receive emergency notifications, they have not all been weather-related. Some have alerted me about missing persons or dangerous winds (such as the August 2020 derecho).

   In one instance, I received a severe thunderstorm warning on Sept. 28, 2019, and then a blizzard warning three days later on Oct. 1. Five days after that, I received a flash flood warning. But that’s Iowa for ya!

   “Jones County Alerts” is not the same emergency service such as “Alert Iowa” or IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert & Warning System). This is purely a county-run service.

   If you have questions about the county alert system, contact Leonard at 319-462-4386 or brenda.leonard@jonescountyiowa.gov.

   Granted, many of us receive alerts from KCRG (or whatever local weather app you have downloaded on your phone). But those are just weather alerts. You won’t receive a public emergency notification from KCRG.

   Our city, county, and neighboring law enforcement agencies and emergency personnel who all responded to Fareway the morning of Nov. 7 were all faced with an unprecedented situation. When they could not locate the suspect, an alert was sent out to make sure the community was safe as a dangerous person was out there somewhere. Ultimately, he fled to Hopkinton where he was captured.

   I know when I received that initial text message from Jones County EMA, I felt safe in my office building where we had the door locked, sheltering in place.

   Why would you pass up this free service??