• Arlington Alert is an emergency communication system used by governments, emergency management agencies and first responders to send emergency alerts, notifications and updates to your cell phone, pager, Blackberry, PDA and/or e-mail account.
• In the event of an emergency, such as a terrorist attack or severe weather incident, Arlington County emergency management personnel will send important alerts, updates and instructions right to your cell phone or mobile device using your device's text message (SMS) feature, and/or to your e-mail account(s).
• All cell phone carriers offer, and most phones have, text messaging capability. It's easy to use and costs range from free to only a few pennies per message. Click here to learn more about your carrier.
• Visit our FAQs for more information about text messaging and Arlington Alert.

How it works

• Arlington County has designated, authorized personnel who are responsible for generating alert messages in the event of an emergency.
• When an alert is sent, it travels directly to your email, pager and cell phone. Messages beamed to your cell phone or mobile device arrive in seconds via the SMS (text messaging) network.

Getting started is simple

• No software to install or extra equipment to purchase
• Registration takes only a few minutes:
  1. Sign up for a Arlington Alert account using your e-mail address and register your cell phone and/or pager.
  2. Choose a password so you can manage your account online.
  3. You are ready to receive alerts in the event of an emergency.
• Proceed to registration page.