Frequently Asked Questions

AlertLowndes powered by Smart911 is Lowndes County Emergency Management’s official emergency alert and notification system. This system is used to send alerts to the public during emergencies. Alerts powered by Smart911 [or insert your alert system name] is a free service that allows you to sign up online to receive customized alerts via text message, email, and voice message. 

In addition to emergency alerts, you can also choose to receive customizable community notifications. These include notifications about severe weather, safety, health, utility disruptions, major traffic incidents, etc. Lowndes County Emergency Management provides this service at no cost to the public; however, message and data rates may apply.

When emergencies happen, be the first to know. Lowndes County Emergency Management uses AlertLowndes to send official, real-time alerts to the public with information about potentially life-saving actions they may need to take to keep themselves and their families safe. By signing up for AlertLowndes you are taking a large step toward improving your personal safety.

When an emergency occurs that meets the criteria for sending out an alert to the public, Lowndes County Emergency Management will gather the necessary information and push out an alert to the affected area. Alerts can be sent out county-wide to everyone who has opted-in to the system, or to a specific area or neighborhood for more localized events.

This service is provided by Lowndes County Emergency Management at no cost to the public; however, message and data rates may apply depending on your provider and phone services.

While AlertLowndes is an excellent system, we cannot guarantee that you will receive notification in all cases. Disasters and emergencies are chaotic and unpredictable, and notification depends on external providers such as your wireless carrier or email delivery service outside Lowndes County Emergency Management’s control. AlertLowndes will use several means of communication to try to ensure that should any one communications method, technology, or delivery option be unavailable to reach residents, other methods will be used to improve the likelihood that citizens will see the message.

Signing up for AlertLowndes is easy! Go to https://www.smart911.com/smart911/ref/reg.action?pa=AlertLowndes and register your contact information.

AlertLowndes is available to anyone who lives, works, travels through, or visits Lowndes County. The address can be your home, work, or any other location you care about.

You can visit your local library to sign up online for AlertLowndes. Those who do not have computer access are also welcome to attend one of the many scheduled opt-in events hosted by Lowndes County Emergency Management or call their office during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Emergency alerts are sent 24/7 when there is an immediate threat to life and/or property. In addition to emergency alerts, you can also choose to receive customizable community notifications. These include notifications about:

o    Severe Weather

o    Safety risks

o    Health risks

o    Test messages.

You cannot reply to texts or emails sent by AlertLowndes. Voice messages provide a dial-back number to replay an alert message.

Once you have signed up online at https://www.smart911.com/smart911/ref/reg.action?pa=AlertLowndes and confirmed your contact information within the system, you will begin receiving alerts

Follow the below steps to change your AlertLowndespreferences (for example, to reduce the number of messages of a certain type, or to change the contacts used for each kind of message):

1.    Go to the login page https://www.smart911.com/smart911/ref/login.action?pa=AlertLowndes for AlertLowndes

2.    Login using your AlertLowndes username and password (If you’ve forgotten these, follow the instructions on the page under “Forgot Username or Password?”)

3.    Once signed in, click the ‘Preferences’ tab at the top

4.    Under ‘Notification Preferences’, you can make changes to both the phone numbers and email addresses on which you want to receive AlertLowndes messages by clicking or unclicking the checkboxes

5.    You can also choose what alerts you want to receive and the method you wish to receive them by (text, voice, email)

            a.    For example, if you wish to turn off all messages regarding Boil Water Notices, uncheck the box to the left of “Boil Water Notices”

            b.    If you wish instead only to receive emails for Boil Water notifications, instead uncheck the “Text” and / or “Voice” choices, so that only “Email” remains checked

The frequency for which you receive alerts depends on the addresses you provide and the types of alerts you select to receive, as well as the frequency of actual emergencies. Emergency alerts will only be sent when there is an immediate threat to life and/or property. Community notifications will be sent when the criteria for sending an alert are met.

This system is not intended to bombard you with information. Emergency Management will only send you alerts about the information you select to receive. To change your alert settings, login to https://www.smart911.com/smart911/ref/login.action?pa=AlertLowndes and edit your preferences.

If a call is completed, a message is left and sent to your answering machine or voice mail system. If a phone call is unanswered or busy, the system redials your number several times.

No, your information is private and will not be used or distributed in any manner. The information you provide is exempt from public disclosure and will be used for emergencies only.

Personal information provided to AlertLowndesis is private and only used to notify you for official emergency communications and to support Lowndes County’s emergency services.

Your information is not used for marketing purposes and will not be sold to telemarketers or data-mining organizations. A variety of “opt-in” mechanisms are available to ensure you receive only the messages you want, delivered via the devices and communications modes you choose.

AlertLowndes utilizes the highest standards in physical and computer security technologies and conducts regular audits to keep all information secure. Privacy policies are also outlined in the Terms and Conditions you review when you sign up for AlertLowndes notifications.

Alert Lowndes uses warning polygons issued by the National Weather Service (NWS).

When the NWS issues a warning, they draw a specific shape, or polygon, on the map that identifies the area most likely to be impacted. If your address is located inside that polygon, you will receive an alert. If your address is outside of it, you may not receive a notification, even if you are still within Lowndes County.

This allows alerts to be sent quickly and only to those at greatest risk.

Not every warning impacts the entire county, and sending alerts countywide for every warning would actually create delays and reduce effectiveness.

Here’s why:

Speed matters: Severe weather warnings, especially tornado warnings, are often issued with very little lead time, sometimes only minutes. Sending alerts to the entire county would take longer to process and deliver, which could delay notifications to those in immediate danger.

Targeted delivery is faster: Polygon-based alerts allow the system to quickly send messages only to the people within the affected area, improving delivery speed when seconds matter.

Reduces alert fatigue: If everyone received every alert, even when not at risk, people may begin to ignore them over time. Targeted alerts help ensure that when you receive a notification, it is relevant and important.

In short, polygon-based alerts are designed to be faster, more precise, and more effective during rapidly evolving situations.

There are a few common reasons:

Even small differences in location can determine whether an alert is received.

Sometimes your location may fall near the edge of a warning polygon. Warnings are designed to cover areas where impacts are possible, not guaranteed.

For example:

•    A storm may shift slightly before reaching your exact location

•    Some hazards, such as wind or heavy rain, can vary across short distances

It is always best to treat alerts seriously, even if impacts are not ultimately felt at your exact location.

The most common reasons include:

•    Your address is not correctly entered or mapped in your account

•    Your location was outside the warning polygon

•    You have not enabled text, voice, or app notifications

•    Your phone settings, such as Do Not Disturb, may have silenced the alert

•    Your carrier may have delayed or filtered the message

Alert timing depends on several factors:

•    When the National Weather Service issues the warning

•    How quickly storms develop or change

•    Cellular network traffic during high-demand events

Warnings are issued as soon as conditions meet criteria, but severe weather can develop rapidly with little advance notice.

A Watch means conditions are favorable for severe weather. Stay alert and be prepared.

A Warning means severe weather is occurring or imminent. Take action immediately.

Alert Lowndes primarily sends notifications for Warnings, which indicate an immediate threat.

To improve your chances of receiving alerts:

•    Make sure your address is accurate and correctly placed on the map

•    Enable multiple notification methods, such as text, voice, email, and app notifications

•    Check that your phone is not blocking or silencing alerts

•    Consider adding additional locations, such as work, school, or family members’ homes

No. While Alert Lowndes is a powerful tool, we strongly encourage having multiple ways to receive alerts, including:

•    NOAA Weather Radio

•    Trusted weather apps

•    Local television and radio

•    Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone

No single system should be your only source of emergency information.

If you need assistance updating your information or verifying your settings, please contact:

Lowndes County Emergency Management

(229) 671-2790