Richmond Ready Alerts FAQ's

Richmond Ready is a critical alert messaging system designed to keep those who live and work in Richmond informed about potential hazards or threats that could impact their safety. The City of Richmond is utilizing the system Everbridge, a leading platform in critical event management platform, to ensure timely and effective emergency notifications.

The emergency notification system is designed to keep you informed during significant weather events, critical incidents, crises, or emergencies. 

Absolutely! To get started, download the Public Safety by Everbridge app from the Apple or Google Play Store. Once you have downloaded the app, type in Richmond VA to find and add our locality as the organization you will receive alerts for.

There is no cost for Richmond Ready Alerts, however your cell phone provider may charge for text messages.
 

Richmond Ready offers multiple ways to deliver messages, including your mobile phone, home phone, and email. This allows the City of Richmond to deliver critical incident related messaging to you regardless of the device you have or your location. Once registered, the system can reach you within seconds by cycling through various voice and text options until all messages are delivered.

Each message you receive will provide you with details of the incident, actions you are advised to take, and will ask you to confirm receipt.
 

While Richmond Ready Alerts is an excellent system for receiving emergency notifications, it should not be your sole source for critical information. We encourage residents to use this alert system in conjunction with other methods for receiving information, such as the City of Richmond’s website and social media accounts, the National Weather Service, local news outlets, etc.
 

The City of Richmond’s Department of Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response (DECPR), along with other public safety partners, will work together to determine when the system is activated. Alerts will be sent out by the Department of Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response.

Yes! You can easily add multiple locations, like your home and workplace. By entering different addresses, you'll receive timely alerts tailored to the specific areas that matter most to you.

The system is only as good as the information you provide. If any of your contact information changes, please go to your Richmond Ready profile and update the information.

Residents who want to receive alerts for their neighborhood without providing their home address can use the address of a nearby public building, such as a school, library, fire station, or their workplace.

All phone notifications will be sent from 804-646-8457 and 89361 for all text communications.

Absolutely not. Your information will be stored securely within the Everbridge system and will not be shared.

The new emergency alert system is not a direct response to the recent water outage. It was already in development prior to that event, and we expedited its launch due to the challenges we encountered during the outage. This upgrade will improve our ability to keep residents informed during emergencies and allow us to communicate vital information more effectively in the future. We believe this will make a significant difference for our community.

Yes, the new alert system will indeed notify residents about future utility outages, including any water disruptions. The City of Richmond upgraded to a more comprehensive emergency alert system to improve communication during emergencies.