Flint, MI– The City of Flint is launching a new app, “Alert Flint,” to send specific emergency notifications to people who sign up.
The app uses the CodeRED emergency notification system that is currently used in thousands of municipalities nationally, according to a March 1 city press release.
According to the same release, the system will be used to share information like boil water advisories and street maintenance, missing children, active shooter, natural disasters or evacuation/shelter in place notices.
The system allows for people to choose if they want to be alerted via cell phone, landline, text, email and/or social media.
“Everyone has a mobile device in their hand or very close by,” Mayor Sheldon Neeley said at a March 2 press conference to announce the app’s launch.
He said his administration knew it was time to release something like this because they’ve been testing it for a while and it’s proven to be effective. It will help the city share alerts on a more widespread basis, he said.
“People can digest information very quickly and be able to adapt and be able to protect themselves and/or educate others about what’s happening inside the city,” Neeley said.
Councilwoman Ladel Lewis said the system is a “game changer” for the city, adding that, right now, the city is focused on spreading the news about the app to encourage residents to sign up.
“We need the cooperation from all residents,” Lewis said said.
During the conference, Neeley avoided questions about the app’s cost, but assured the audience it is cost-effective, estimating the amount would come to “four-figures.”
He said the alert system will be run collaboratively by the City’s emergency response, communications and IT departments.
To sign up, residents can go to CityOfFlint.com/AlertFlint or text “Flint” to 99411. Residents can also download the CodeRED mobile app from the App Store or Google Play to receive notifications based on their current location. It is free to sign up for these notifications.