Creative Commons License

CT Alert is a statewide emergency notification system, alerting those who have signed up to the system via cell phone, email, or text message in times of public emergency. Credit: CT Alert

This article is part of CT Mirror’s Spanish-language news coverage developed in partnership with Identidad Latina Multimedia.

Lea este artículo en español.

In a recent interview with MSNBC focused on the state’s preparation for hurricane season, Gov. Ned Lamont referenced the deadly flooding that took place in Naugatuck Valley last August. He said Connecticut is preparing for severe weather and public safety emergencies by taking a number of steps, like setting aside money in case of major storm damage.

“I just don’t know if I can count on FEMA right now,” Lamont said, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is one of the federal agencies President Donald J. Trump has been working to dismantle.

He also urged residents to sign up for the state’s “early warning system.”

In Connecticut, several emergency notification systems operate under state and regional authorities to notify residents with important information in times of public safety and health emergencies. One relatively modern statewide system is CT Alert.

Powered by software company Everbridge, CT Alert allows participating towns’ 911 call centers to reach residents who have signed up with information related to evacuations, safety measures or general alerts via cellphone, email or text message.

In times of critical emergencies, the system, operated by the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, or DESSP, may try multiple methods to reach a resident if it requests but does not receive confirmation that the person got the notification.

How many people does CT Alert reach?

Less than 10% of CT residents have signed up for CT Alert, but Connecticut’s DESSP has over 4.8 million statewide contacts in the system, which allows it to amplify reach should an emergency demand it.

In an average year, anywhere between 3,000 to 5,000 individuals sign up to be alerted through the system. This year to date, approximately 9,000 people have signed up.

Each alert is customizable, where 911 dispatchers can choose how localized the notification is and how many people to reach.

Last year, CT Alert was used 97 times. This year, it has been used 25 times. The system sees signup spikes after events like floods, fires, and other emergencies.

How do I sign up? 

Residents can sign up on CT Alert’s website by providing their name, email address, phone number and work or home address. Residents and businesses that have listed telephone numbers are already registered for the system.

Although the system is available to all towns, its usage depends on your given town or region’s 911 centers. Some towns might use more enhanced or specific notification systems, like Reverse 911.

When a town chooses to use CT Alert it means its emergency dispatch center will utilize the system to send out emergency alerts to residents. However, a registered individual will still get statewide and regional CT alerts even if their town does not actively use the system.

Although DESPP has access to Whitepages data for landlines numbers and purchased cellphone data through Everbridge, signing up to be alerted is the most effective way to be updated by the system, officials said.

Registered data can be disclosed to third parties for the purpose of emergency notification, or as required by the law, according to CT Alert’s FAQ page.  

How is CT Alert different from other emergency notification systems? 

The driving idea behind CT Alert was to warn residents preemptively before danger is imminent. Some statewide notifications are sent out to warn of incoming, and not always expected, danger.

Reverse 911 is another commonly used emergency notification system in Connecticut, which allows local authorities to reach specific neighborhoods, zones or towns by contacting registered landlines and cellphones for localized threats.

Nationwide notification systems, tailored regionally by local law enforcement, like FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert & Warning System or AMBER alerts notify the broader public about more specific emergencies, like only natural disasters or only missing children, respectively, often using broadcasting on radio and TV in addition to cellphones. 

Janhavi is a rising junior at Wesleyan University, where she double-majors in Government and the College of Letters, with a minor in Human Rights Advocacy. At the University’s newspaper, the Wesleyan Argus, Janhavi has served as Photo and Features Editor, and is the incoming Managing Editor. She has covered the international student news beat, along with long-form profiles, campus protests, and contractual developments at Wesleyan. Currently, Janhavi handles social media for the College of Letters and has worked as a Research Partner at Wesleyan’s Center for Prison Education.