Before The Next Emergency, Sign Up for Alexandria eNews Today!

It snowed in Alexandria in October, remnants of two hurricanes caused power outages and flooding in September and August, and on August 23 a historic earthquake rocked the region. Receiving critical, accurate, and up to date information from local leaders during breaking news can be difficult. Immediately after the earthquake, cell phone lines were jammed; during the height of the hurricane, more than 10,000 people in the City lost power; and the situation during the flash flood went from normal to severe very quickly. However, despite the challenging circumstances, the City provided timely, essential emergency information to the public.

One of the fastest ways the City of Alexandria provides emergency information to the public is through our eNews system, which delivers news and updates via e-mail, text, and pager. Of course, we use the City’s Facebook page, Twitter feed and alexandriava.gov as well, but when the phone lines were jammed and the power was out, people could still get information on their cell phones via email and text message

It was just four days after the earthquake, Hurricane Irene arrived in Alexandria, knocking down trees and causing significant power outages. Then on September 8, remnants of Tropical Storm Lee dumped heavy rains causing serious flash flooding in Alexandria. Because of the floods the Alexandria Fire Department had to rescue 30 people from their cars, and hundreds of vehicles and many businesses were damaged around Cameron Run. Thankfully no one was hurt. 

The City provided information about the earthquake to the public via eNews about 20 minutes after the earthquake hit. During the four-day period leading up to and during Tropical Storm Irene, we sent two to three eNews alerts a day providing essential information about sandbag distribution, a special City Help phone line, tree removal and debris clean up. So, if you haven’t signed up for eNews, now is the time!

The City’s eNews service is one of most efficient methods to receive vital emergency alerts and information. Alerts and text messages can be sent directly to your smart phone or email account so you can receive the latest news. eNews also lets you register multiple email address, smartphones, tablets and laptops. You can even decide which types of messages you’d like to receive at each address and device.

As an eNews subscriber, you’ll also be the first to receive updated news and information from the City on items of interest to you. eNews currently offers content in more than 100 categories, including news releases, community events and festivals, public meetings, and much more. National and regional updates are also available. You can receive information about airport delays, Metrorail service disruptions and area traffic problems.

There is no cost to sign up for Alexandria eNews although your wireless provider may charge you to receive email or text messages on your mobile device. Signing up for eNews is easy! Just click here or visit alexandriava.gov/eNews to sign up.

The summer’s wild weather is behind us now, but it snowed before Halloween! So before the winter snow starts to fall, sign up for Alexandria eNews today!