Jim Wells County launches Be Alert system for public safety alerts

Jim Wells County, the City of Alice and the City of Orange Grove have launched Be Alert, a new mass notification system powered by Everbridge that is designed to push out public-safety messages on severe weather, boil-water notices, road closures, evacuation concerns and sheriff alerts. The county says residents can sign up, choose their own alert preferences and add multiple locations, including home, work and school, so one family member can get the right notice for different parts of daily life.

The county is directing questions to Emergency Management Coordinator Lance Brown at 361-227-4812. Along with urgent alerts, the county says the system will point users to incident information, preparedness tips and other public-safety resources, making Be Alert part of the county’s front line for emergency communication rather than a simple website feature.

That shift matters in a county where old and new alert systems have already played a role in how officials reach people. Jim Wells County and the City of Alice previously used LUCAS, a regional notification system based on Blackboard Connect Inc. That system was meant to notify homes and businesses at risk from emergencies or disasters, including boil-water notices, missing-child alerts and evacuation notices. The earlier setup initially relied on landline numbers, and residents had to register cell numbers and email addresses if they wanted those devices included, which left a clear gap for people without smartphones or reliable internet unless they stayed active in the system.

The county’s past experience also shows why geography matters. In February 2024, roughly 3,800 people were registered for weather alerts under Hyper-Reach, including warnings tied to hurricanes, burn bans, freezes and other weather-related events. County officials said then that alerts could be targeted geographically, an important tool in a county that includes Alice, Orange Grove, Ben Bolt and Sandia, where one road, neighborhood or school zone can be affected while the rest of the county stays open.

A 2026 county-court document referenced the move from HyperReach to Everbridge and said the county cited lower cost and broader interoperability with neighboring jurisdictions and the National Weather Service. That lines up with the county emergency-management mission, which says the office works to prepare for, respond to and recover from natural disasters, acts of terrorism and other man-made disasters. Be Alert is the latest step in that effort, and the county is asking residents to enroll now so warnings can move faster when weather, water or law-enforcement emergencies hit.