Austin to buy Warn Central Texas kiosks to sign up residents

The city of Austin is purchasing and programing digital kiosks to give residents greater access in registering to receive emergency warnings about natural and man-made disasters through CAPCOG’s  Warn Central Texas program. By registering their cellphone number or email address at WarnCentralTexas.org, residents can receive critical, possibly life-saving, notifications from county and city public safety personnel.

With an anticipated July or August rollout, the kiosks will be decaled with WarnCentralTexas.org branding and information, and its digital screen will be locked to the WarnCentralTexas.org registration page. Kiosks will then either be placed in high-traffic areas or taken to city events allowing people to register their information at the direct point of contact whether that is while they wait to receive city services or while they are attending a fair, such as Earth Day Austin.

WarnCentralTexas.org is a prime online location for people to register on their own accord, but these kiosks allow the city to play a more active role in signing up residents. Other communities throughout the CAPCOG 10-county region also have taken more active steps to increase Warn Central Texas registrations. For example, Hays County registered residents using smart-tablets during its Emergency Preparedness Fair in September and Horseshoe Bay city staff asks to create accounts for residents who enter city hall.

Learn how to promote WarnCentralTexas.org.
Read about the Regional Notifications System.
Find out more about the Homeland Security Division.