Are you connected in case of disaster?

If last summer taught us anything it's that disaster can strike anywhere, anytime. There were more wildfires in Colorado last season than ever. Every record was broken. The number of fires, total acres burned, homes and structures destroyed, and on it goes.

Currently, only about 20% of Colorado residents are receiving emergency alerts and notifications. Michael Willis, the director of the Colorado Office of Emergency Management, is working to improve that percentage in 2019. “You can’t have enough different ways to be informed,” he said. “You never know where you’re going to be at the time when it’s important… You need to give yourself the opportunity to be informed.”

Colorado too is a place where folks enjoy their surroundings. Who sits around and watches TV all day? Most are out hiking, biking, and not sitting online or where they would get information should an emergency break out. Signing up for community alerts is your best bet to get information fast. “I encourage people to sign up not only in the county they live in, but the county they work in,” adds Wills. The 95 Rock app will send you all the local news and emergency alert information too.

You can sign up for Mesa Country alerts through the Mesa County Emergency Management website. You can sign up directly at the Grand Junction Regional Communication Center Emergency and Community Notification System by clicking HERE.

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