Dare County, in partnership with the towns of Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head and Manteo, has chosen Rave Mobile Safety to deliver a new platform for county and town alerts and notifications.
Originally launched in 2017 as the Dare County Alerts and Notification System, the platform has primarily been used to disseminate emergency information, and it has been used in a limited capacity to share non-emergency information with anyone who has opted in or registered for the service. With the transition, the platform has been rebranded to OBXAlerts and will expand beyond dissemination of emergency information.
OBXAlerts users will still have access to emergency alerts, including severe weather watches and warnings, public safety and emergency-related warnings such as county wide evacuation orders and other time critical notifications. The new platform will be used by county and town officials to improve access to routine notifications. OBXAlerts may be used to deliver notifications when trash pickup is changed or delayed, when water delivery is disrupted, and for distributing routine media releases and other non-emergency information.
Users can choose which county and town lists they want to join when they are setting up and maintaining their profile. All alerts and notifications can be sent via text, email and a phone call, depending upon the methods the user chooses as a way to receive the information. Registering for OBXAlerts will enable Dare County citizens and visitors to have emergency and routine notifications delivered to them using the pathways they choose when setting up their account.
Due to the switch to a new service provider, current subscribers’ contact information and passwords are not transferable. Current subscribers to Dare County’s emergency alerts system will need to re-register to join OBXAlerts. The minimum information needed to register is a user’s first and last name, an email address and a physical address. Providing a physical address allows the system to deliver alerts to those in a specific geographic area.
When signing up for the new OBXAlerts platform, Dare County residents and visitors will establish a very basic Smart911 profile. If they so choose, they can expand their profile with additional information that can be shared with public safety officials.
This option can be helpful for those with special medical needs or other considerations that public safety officials should be aware of in the event of an emergency — for example, if someone needs assistance when evacuating, has service animals, requires medical equipment or has any other special needs that must be addressed in order to keep them safe when an emergency occurs.
It is easy to subscribe to OBXAlerts and to create a Smart911 profile. To sign up and find out more about OBXAlerts, visit www.DareNC.com/Alerts. The Smart911 app can be downloaded through the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Use of the current system will end on February 28, 2021.
