The Town of Okotoks is making sure all residents are safe and informed in times of an emergency.

Land line, email, and text message are just a few methods you can use to stay informed from the Town on any emergency events through the Everbridge Mass Communication System.

Scott Roberts, Protective Services Director with the Town of Okotoks, says this system has been proven to work well.

"With the flooding in 2013 the water levels rose so quickly that a notification system like this, outside of conventional use of media, has been shown to be more effective...so certainly yes the events of 2013 and even the events in Chestermere this past weekend would allow the Town to provide notification to the community about a severe weather alert."

High River, The MD of Foothills, Black Diamond, Longview, Turner Valley, Vulcan and Vulcan County are also taking part in the Safe Communities Alert Network.

Roberts says the use of the system goes beyond flooding events.

"It allows us in Okotoks and other partnering communities to provide information with respect to severe weather events that we encounter in Southern Alberta, potential of a tornado or a heavy hail storm. We could encounter any other kind of weather event or even something as severe as a train crash or train derailment."

Receiving alert messages comes at no cost to residents.

To sign up click here.

Questions, comments, or story ideas? Email us at news@okotoksonline.com