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Seward County to expand emergency alerting with HyperReach and local contact lists
Summary
Officials said county communications is assembling area-based contact lists and that residents can sign up for HyperReach alerts to receive targeted fire notifications; staff expects to coordinate list building this week.
County staff told residents at the May 8 work session that HyperReach, the county's mass-notification tool, can be used to send area-specific alerts and that communications staff have begun building a volunteer contact list.
The interim emergency manager (S8) described immediate steps: "We've been working with Valerie in communications. She has the list started," and reiterated that residents could sign up on the county website that night. Officials said dispatch needs a brief Stillman update and that the communications board will meet next week to finalize group configuration for the Kismet area.
Participants stressed the need for geographic targeting so residents only receive notifications relevant to their area. County staff also identified complementary approaches — a short-term group-text list maintained locally and HyperReach for mass notifications — and encouraged volunteers to provide contact details and indicate whether they can supply tankers, tractors, or other equipment.
The county will follow up with the communications board to determine what information is needed for setup and asked volunteers to either complete the online application or leave a paper sign-up so the county can quickly form a usable roster.
