Emergency evacuations, major highway shutdowns, severe weather and drought restriction changes: these are all updates that residents want to be alerted to. Staying in the know about what’s going on in Pflugerville is something that has never been easier with Pflugerville Alerts.

Started by the City of Pflugerville, these alerts are sent out to subscribers whenever major events are happening in the city that Pflugerville residents need to be aware of. Ideally the city would like to have all residents subscribed to receive alerts because these important notifications help ensure the safety and well-being of the entire community.

Examples of messages sent through Pflugerville Alerts that people can possibly receive:
  • Emergency Alerts: incidents in-progress, shelter in place, evacuations
  • Traffic Alerts: traffic hazards, accidents, delays, road closures
  • General City Alerts: utility updates, drought restriction changes
  • Severe Weather Alerts: weather alerts are provided by the U.S. National Weather Service
“Pflugerville Alerts replaced Nixle in June of this year. Nixle had been used by the city and police department since 2011 to send alerts to residents about significant events, but it didn’t allow the public to select the categories they wanted to receive,” public information officer Cassie Balderas said. “This new system gives the option to subscribe to only specific categories of alerts or everything. It's the same concept but it gives a little more flexibility to what users actually want to receive.”

How to sign up

Subscribers are able to receive alerts via email, phone calls and text messages. They are also able to pick and choose which method they receive the alerts. All alerts that are considered a non-emergency will be sent by text or email.

Steps for signing up include:
  • Use this link to input your contact details
  • Choose your preferred method of communication
  • Enter in your address to receive more geo-specific information
  • Text HELP to 38276 for help with signing up
  • Text STOP to 38276 to cancel getting alerts
One of the most important steps for signing up is entering an address. By inputting their address, residents will be able to receive alerts that only apply to the area of Pflugerville they reside in. This geo-filtering feature will be used beginning in 2024.

The alert messages are generally very short, direct text messages that provide links to then read the full alert on the Pflugerville Alerts web app or the City of Pflugerville’s website.

Impacting the community

Having this alert system in place keeps residents safe and informed. It can also save residents time when it comes to road accidents and closures. Ultimately, the most important impact is being able to send the messages directly to people’s smartphones in real time.

“Having the ability to send something out in real time is a great thing for the police department and the community,” Pflugerville Chief of Police Jason O'Malley said. “Most of us, from young to old, constantly rely on our phones for everything thanks to the advances in technology and this means that crucial information is now readily available at our fingertips."

To sign up for Pflugerville Alerts, text PfAlerts to 38276 or visit pflugervilletx.gov/alerts.

The above story was produced by Community Impact's Senior Multi Platform Journalist Sierra Rozen with information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.