For the past year, the City of The Colony has offered its residents access to an emergency weather-alert system called CivicReady. However, the service will expire Jan. 1, 2020.
The service was provided through our website vendor and enabled residents to sign up to receive localized text-message alerts from the National Weather Service in the event of severe weather warnings such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail, etc. However, enrollment in CivicReady has not been as robust as anticipated, most likely due to the availability of a wide variety of weather-related mobile apps and similar notification technology in the market.
As stewards of the taxpayers’ dollars, we must recognize when the service has become cost-ineffective in light of the lack of participation. With those factors in mind, the City has discontinued offering CivicReady, effective Jan. 1, 2020.
We strongly encourage our residents to make use of other mobile apps and technology that provide emergency weather notifications. All of the major DFW television media (CBS11, NBC5, FOX4, and WFAA) offer news- and weather-related apps targeted to the region that you can download for free. Accuweather is another popular option with advanced features available for a small cost. The Weather Channel also offers a free mobile app that maps the user’s current location to provide severe weather updates and alerts.
For more information, including a wealth of emergency preparedness and planning tips from local, state and federal agencies, visit The Colony Emergency Management page of our website, www.TheColonyTx.gov/BePrepared or call 972-624-3191.