Premont launches free Be Alert system for emergency updates

Premont joined the countywide Be Alert network, giving residents a free way to receive text warnings on severe weather, public safety incidents, community events and other emergencies. The system is powered by Everbridge and lets users tailor alerts by address or location, including home, work and school. Residents can register through the county portal by scanning the QR code, clicking the sign-up link, or calling or texting 361-415-7015.

Before the launch, Premont leaned mainly on social media for emergency information. The new system is aimed at rural residents and people without dependable internet access. Premont was incorporated in 1939 and has a population of 3,135, and the city website also lists registration through the city site, its social media page or by contacting City Hall at 200 S. Agnes St., Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mayor Kimberly Moreno: "I think this is something that we should have done a long time ago." City Coordinator Aaron Trevino: "Partnerships in small communities like ours are very important." Premont is plugged into a county effort shared by Jim Wells County, Alice and Orange Grove.

Lance Brown coordinates with local governments, law enforcement and emergency services to reduce vulnerability and improve disaster response. The county's earlier LUCAS system sent telephone notices only to landline numbers unless residents registered cellular numbers or email addresses, so people who had not opted in could miss boil-water notices, missing-child alerts and evacuation notices. Jim Wells County counted 38,891 residents in the 2020 census and has faced FEMA-declared disasters from Hurricane Hanna in 2020 and the February 2021 severe winter storm. In Premont, police generated 2,133 calls for service, 1,798 traffic stops or vehicle contacts, 265 offense reports and 1,987 business checks in 2024.