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New Government Campaign Asks Residents to Sign Up for Free Emergency Alerts

September 11, 2009
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Officials are encouraging residents to sign up for free emergency text alerts from local governments in the Washington, D.C. region. The new campaign is part of CapitalAlert, a new regional advertising campaign that aims to raise awareness about these emergency alert systems.

The alerts offer official information about what to do and where to go in a major emergency. Alerts are sent to cell phones, PDAs, pagers and e-mail accounts.

Subscribers can choose what kind of alerts they want and how they want to receive them, as well as be notified about emergencies near their home, school or job. Alert categories range from severe weather and traffic to terrorism.

To sign up for the free emergency alerts, visit Capital Alert or subscribe directly from a cell phone. Send a text message to 411911 with the name of the county or city from which to receive alerts.

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