KALISPELL — As wildfire season begins to spark in Northwest Montana, there’s a new smartphone App Flathead County residents can download to receive emergency notifications like evacuation warnings.
Flathead County has partnered with Genasys Alert, a free and easy-to-download smartphone application that notifies residents of evacuation orders, severe weather alerts and more.
Learn more below:
“We’re seeing some fires that grow pretty fast, and this may be the only chance that we do have to notify you, so signing up is the best way to get that notification in a timely manner,” said Flathead County Office of Emergency Services Emergency Management Planner Juanita Nelson.
Nelson said users can download the app on their phone or sign up for notifications online. She said users can customize which notifications they would like to receive.
“We also plan on pushing it out so that if there’s a public health emergency that we can also do that, it’s to notify our residents if there’s something that is of concern that they need to know about.”
Nelson said users can receive alerts for multiple locations on the app.
“For your home address, your work address, if you want to add your parents' address so you know what’s going on with them."
She said it’s an easy way to stay informed and prepared when emergencies arise.
“And even our visitors, if they are here and they want to sign up to receive notifications if they are staying at a VRBO or Airbnb, they can sign up and put in their information and they will be able to receive those alerts too.”
More information on the Genasys Alert App can be found here.
