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It’s hurricane season, and the Washington Parish 911 Communications District is working hard to get residents signed up for emergency weather alerts. This free service is an important way that the Washington Parish Government (Parish) will send out information such as evacuation orders, shelter information and ways to get assistance in the event of a hurricane or other emergency.

For the system to work, the Parish needs residents to register their contact information so the system knows who to send the information to and how to send it. The Parish is promoting enrollment for alerts throughout the month of June.

On Tuesday, the Parish will be sending a text message to thousands of residents, asking them to sign up and to encourage their family, friends and neighbors to sign up as well. To assure residents that the message is not spam, they are publishing it in advance. The message will read:

“Washington Parish 911 says: It’s hurricane season. Pls enroll for weather alerts now. Go to https://hrpow.us/wpprepare. And share with friends & FB, etc. Thx!”

“We need everyone to sign up, even if we have your phone number,” said Joanna Thomas, Director of the Communications District. “The list we’re using may not be up-to-date, and getting your details right is important if we’re going to send you the right information at the right time.”

“And when you’re done signing yourself up, help your family, friends and neighbors,” said Bobbi Jo Breland, Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “Forward that message to the people you care about who live or work in the Parish. Post it to your Facebook or Instagram. Every person who signs up is one step closer to being as prepared as possible for hurricanes and other disasters.”

Residents and others who work in the community can enroll by calling or texting “Alert” to (985) 282-2620 or by going to the website www.hrpow.us/wpprepare.

Residents can also get community and emergency alerts through Alexa-enabled devices just by saying “Alexa, enable Hyper-Reach” and following the Alexa-provided instructions. And you can also get alerts on your web browser by clicking “Accept” when you see the request for push notifications.

There’s also the Hyper-Reach Anywhere app you can download to your smartphone. Hyper-Reach Anywhere is free and lets you manage and monitor the alerts you receive for home, office and other addresses you care about — such as elderly relatives or friends. Just go to your Apple or Google app store and search for “Hyper-Reach Anywhere.”