January water outages highlight challenges of opt-in system, need for current user information
Henrico County is asking residents and other community members to register with its emergency alerting system and to make sure their information is updated, particularly as they move and change phone numbers or email addresses.
Water service outages that occurred in the region in early January highlighted challenges with the Henrico County Alert system, which is free and most effective when users opt in to receive alerts by a landline or mobile phone, computer or other devices.
Henrico sent two messages during the crisis – one announcing a countywide boil water advisory and a second message on the lifting of the advisory. The messages to the county’s entire database were, by far, the most expansive since the system was launched in mid-2023, said Rob Rowley, chief of Henrico’s Department of Emergency Management & Workplace Safety. Typically, messages are targeted to users in a particular area or community based on a confined emergency – for example, a hazardous materials spill, a missing person or a need to evacuate or shelter in place.
“Last month’s water crisis underscored one of the challenges of reaching an entire community when residents receive news and other information in so many different ways, including traditional news outlets, social media and other means,” Rowley said. “To be most effective, Henrico’s emergency alerting system needs a robust database of subscribers, with accurate information on where they live or work, and how we can reach them. We’re asking residents to do their part by signing up and keeping their information updated, particularly as mobile technology continues to replace traditional landline phones that are assigned to specific street addresses.”
Henrico is launching a marketing campaign to promote the Henrico County Alert system and to encourage residents to register. Videos and graphics (attached) are available for media partners to use.
The county’s system uses the high-speed Everbridge platform and currently has 226,512 residential and business contacts, which include 79,863 opt-in contacts. By comparison, the county has about 350,000 residents and more than 144,000 households. During the water crisis, messages to 95,707 contacts were undeliverable because of invalid information, such as a deactivated phone number or email address, Rowley said.
Henrico’s database includes information provided by residents and others who have opted into the system as well as information that was either transferred from the county’s previous alerting system or purchased from vendors, such as Verizon. The information provided by users opting into the system is, by far, the most accurate and reliable, Rowley said.
The Board of Supervisors will hold a work session at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11 to receive a report from independent consultants on the county’s response to the disruption of water service, which impacted more than 24,000 customers in central and eastern Henrico. The review was conducted by firms Whitman, Requardt and Associates LLP and AquaLaw.
