Lowndes County Emergency Management is proud to recognize National Emergency Management Awareness Month throughout August. The campaign is designed to increase public awareness of the emergency management profession and recognize the dedicated professionals who work every day to help communities, businesses, schools, healthcare organizations, and government agencies prepare for emergencies and disasters.

"Emergency managers are the professionals who help communities and organizations prepare for the unexpected long before disaster strikes," said Josh Morton, MPA, CEM, SCCEM, president of the IAEM-USA Council. "National Emergency Management Awareness Month is an opportunity to recognize their contributions and increase understanding of the vital work they perform every day."

“Emergency management is about building relationships before disasters occur,” said Ashley Tye, director of Lowndes County Emergency Management. “It’s more than responding to disasters; it’s about building systems and partnerships that make our community stronger, safer and more resilient. Whether we're planning with schools, health care providers, businesses or first responders, our goal is to help our community be better prepared for whatever comes next. We're proud to support this national campaign and recognize the dedicated professionals on our Emergency Management team who work every day to prepare for the unexpected."

Emergency managers coordinate planning, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation across every sector of society. Their work helps reduce disaster impacts, strengthen resilience, and ensure essential services continue during emergencies.

Lowndes County encourages residents, businesses, and community leaders to stay informed and take an active role in emergency preparedness. One of the easiest ways to stay connected is by signing up for AlertLowndes, a free emergency notification system available to all Lowndes County residents.

AlertLowndes delivers real-time emergency notifications by text message, phone call, and/or email, providing critical information when it matters most. Notifications are tailored to a subscriber’s registered address, ensuring residents receive timely, relevant alerts for their area.

The system automatically delivers severe weather warnings from the National Weather Service, including tornado and flash flood alerts, as well as important local notifications such as boil water advisories, missing persons reports, road closures and other emergency information issued by Lowndes County officials.

Residents are also encouraged to follow EMA Lowndes on Facebook for preparedness tips, weather updates, safety information and emergency announcements throughout the year. By staying connected through Alert Lowndes and EMA Lowndes, residents can receive timely information before, during and after emergencies.

To register or learn more about Alert Lowndes, visit www.lowndescounty.com/alertlowndes. To learn more about National Emergency Management Awareness Month, visit https://www.iaem.org/Events/National-Emergency-Management-Awareness-Month.