New warning system in Vermilion Parish informs residents

VERMILION PARISH, Louisiana (KLFY) – The Vermilion Parish Police Jury and the Vermilion Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness have a new warning system called Rave.

It is designed to inform and ensure the safety of residents in the event of a hurricane or other emergency that requires immediate intervention. It will alert residents immediately in real time.

Cristian Lejeune, Digital Media Assistant for Abbeville, says that the old system Nixle. Unlike Nixle, Rave offers an app you can download to your phone. “There’s a QR code you can scan that takes you right to your app store, whether you’re using Google or Android. It’s called Smart 911. You have to create an account, but once you create an account, you can also sign up for account-specific alerts,” Lejeune said.

Residents can get alerts from the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security. They can also contact United Way, which is used during hurricanes and FEMA response. “There’s also access to other government agencies that use the exact same things,” she said.

Residents can sign up for community-wide alerts by texting the word “𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧” to 𝟕𝟕𝟐𝟗𝟓 and will then receive alerts directly on their phone. You can also receive city-specific alerts including 𝐀𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞, 𝐄𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡, 𝐊𝐚𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧, 𝐌𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐞, 𝐆𝐮𝐞𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐧.

For example, she explained, “If there is a boil water advisory in your city, people in your community can issue that advisory and let you know that there is a boil water advisory.

You can sign up to receive alerts from all the cities you want, or choose to receive only those relevant to where you live.”

Residents can also choose how they want to receive alerts in the app: via text message, call or phone. If you don’t have a cell phone, alerts can also be sent to your landline phone since 911 numbers have been entered into the system.

“Unfortunately, not everyone has access to a cell phone or has that ability. So if you have a landline or you’re concerned that your grandparents only have a landline and no cell phone, their numbers are automatically uploaded from the 911 system into the Rave software. So when an alert comes in from the OEP office, they get the same alerts, and that’s really important this time of year because it’s hurricane season,” she said. “Right now, the only way you can sign up for a city-specific alert is through the app. We’re looking at other options and will provide that information at a later date on how you might be able to sign up for a city-specific alert.”

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