Harris County Mass Emergency Alert System Gets Renewed

Harris County Commissioners Court approved renewing our emergency notification system with Everbridge Inc for $178,409. This system sends emergency alerts to residents during hurricanes, floods, chemical spills, and other emergencies that threaten our safety. When Hurricane Harvey hit, when winter storms knocked out power, when chemical plants had accidents - this system helped save lives by getting critical information to families quickly. The Everbridge platform sends alerts through text messages, phone calls, emails, and social media to warn people about immediate dangers. It also helps coordinate emergency response between fire departments, police, hospitals, and other first responders across Harris County. This renewal covers software maintenance and technical support from May 2026 to May 2027. Without this system, our community would struggle to receive timely warnings about evacuations, shelter locations, road closures, or boil water notices. The contract was approved as a sole source exemption because Everbridge is the only company that can maintain their specialized software. County staff justified this approach to keep our existing emergency system running smoothly. To stay connected to these life-saving alerts, residents should sign up for Harris County emergency notifications through the county website or ReadyHarris.org.

This emergency alert system sends text, call, and email warnings during hurricanes, floods, and other dangers. It helped save lives during Hurricane Harvey by quickly telling families about evacuations and safety information.