When severe thunderstorm warnings were issued Saturday night for Tallahatchie County, hundreds of local residents were alerted electronically by Nixle, a mass notification service to which county government subscribes.
The alert went out by email, text message and telephone voice message to anyone in the county who had registered for the free service and selected those delivery options.
Nixle is utilized by the Tallahatchie County Emergency Management Agency to send alerts about weather and other incidents impacting the county. If there were a hazardous materials spill or some other situation, the service could be employed to send an alert.
One recent Nixle advisory informed about COVID-19 vaccinations given by Tallahatchie General Hospital at the Tallahatchie County Safe Room, listing the number (662-647-8000) that people may call to ask about an appointment.
National Weather Service watches and warnings are patched through the Nixle system automatically, geographically targeting only those subscribers who are in the impacted area. Other messages are posted by the local EMA.
While Nixle is available to local residents at no cost, registration is necessary.
“People don’t get the notifications if they’re not signed up,” said Thad Roberts, director of the local EMA.
Presently, some 1,000 Tallahatchians have registered for Nixle, Roberts noted, adding that it is quick and easy to sign up for the service.
“All they have to do is send their Zip code in a text message to 888777,” he noted.
You may also register online at https://local.nixle.com/register/.
Once registered, users can customize their notification settings. The service can be discontinued by opting out: texting STOP to 888777.
For more information or assistance with registering for Nixle alerts and advisories, call the EMA office in Charleston at 647-2540.
