Austin Text Alert System Caters to Unhoused Residents

The city of Austin launched a new emergency alert text message system aimed specifically at unhoused residents, reports Daniel Gravois for KXAN. The system is designed to warn people about oncoming extreme weather events and other emergencies.

“The first alerts were sent to more than 3,500 people, the city said, in preparation for last week’s rainfall and Sunday’s cold front.” The system will provide updates and information “during a variety of circumstances including flood events, elevated seasonal wildfire risk, summer heat advisories, and winter storms,” Gravois writes.

“According to the Homeless Strategy Division, it intends to quickly expand the use of technology to deliver messages about services including monthly Pop-Up Resource Clinics hosted by Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, cold weather shelter activations, and more.”

The city is dispatching outreach workers to raise awareness about the program and show residents how to sign up. The project follows a Covid-era initiative that used mass text messages to distribute important alerts.