This is a new service for Chambers County. We know that you will have questions. We have answered a number of the most common ones we have been asked here.
What is ChambersWARNS?
ChambersWarns is our new, state-of-the-art mass notification and warning system designed to warn residents about emergencies and other important community news in jurisdictions throughout Chambers County, Texas.
Why should I sign up for Alert notifications?
ChambersWARNS enables County emergency officials to provide critical information directly to you as emergencies happen. The alerts provide information on the nature of the emergency, where to go, what to do and how to stay informed through text message, email, cell phone, home phone or work phone. Text message is the fastest way to receive notifications.
What types of notifications will I receive?
Chambers County Emergency Management and Chambers County Health Department will use ChambersWARNS to notify residents about severe weather threats, Haz Mat threats, boil water notices and other critical emergency information. We can, with your approval, also send information about interstate closures, transportation incidents, utility outages, government closings and other important community news.
What are some of the features of ChambersWARNS?
ChambersWARNS is user customizable and allows you to choose what kind of notifications you want to receive, how you want to receive them and the location you want to receive them for.
What types of important emergency and disaster alerts will I receive?
Chambers County Emergency Management and Chambers County Public Health will use ChambersWARNS to send emergency notifications when there are imminent threats to life, health and safety for residents in Chambers County.
Who sends alerts?
Chambers County Emergency Management, Chambers County 9-1-1 Dispatch and Chambers County Public Health Department are the only agencies authorized to issue alerts. Alerts may go out to everyone with an account or to select groups of individuals depending on the type of alerts to which they subscribed or geographic area impacted.
Who can register for ChambersWARNS?
Anyone can register for ChambersWARNS. Whether you live, work, travel through, or have family/friends in Chambers County the service is available to you. However, only addresses and contact information you provide within Chambers County will receive an alert from the system. Individuals and businesses that have their information available in the white and yellow pages are already included in the system and will receive emergency notifications through landline only.
Will I still get emergency notifications if I don't sign up?
Individuals and businesses that are in the white and yellow pages have automatically been added into the system and will receive emergency notifications through landline only. If you are currently listed in the white or yellow pages and would like to customize your notifications, you must register for ChambersWARNS. Cellular telephones are NOT included and federal law prohibits the County from accessing your cell phone without YOUR permission: YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE NOTIFICATIONS ON YOUR CELL PHONE OR EMAIL IF YOU DON’T REGISTER.
What if I previously provided my information to a Chambers County notification system?
If you previously provided your information to a Chambers County notification system, you still need to register in ChambersWARNS to ensure you receive emergency notifications and to control your locations and notification delivery methods. ChambersWarns encourages you to update your contact information yearly or anytime it changes.
Why should I provide an address?
In order to take advantage of the features of the ChambersWARNS, individuals should enter a valid address which allows us to target information specific to a geographic location. Some emergency alerts, such as law enforcement alert or Haz Mat Warnings, are only sent to account holders with addresses listed near the event location.
What if I do not want to enter my home address?
A valid address in Chambers County is required. If you do not enter your home address, you will not get alerts or warning for your neighborhood. In order to effectively provide you with timely warnings or alerts, we need the same residence information that is on your Texas Driver’s License. Your personal information is NOT stored locally on any computer and will NEVER be accessed or shared by anyone.
Will my contact information be shared with others?
NO. The information that you provide for ChambersWARNS will ONLY be used for notification purposes. We will not sell or provide your information to any vendor or anyone else.
How will my information be secured?
ChambersWARNS' vendor, SwiftReach, complies with industry standards and best practices for system administration, security policies, and application development. To make our system the most secure, SwiftReach complies with FISMA security guidelines set forth by the National Institute of Standards in Technology (NIST). In addition, Chambers County required, by contract, that SwiftReach agree NOT to share, sell, rent, give or otherwise transfer ANY information from Chambers County to anyone else.
What if my phone number(s) or email address(es) change?
ChambersWARNS is only as good as the information you provide. Once you have registered to receive notifications, it is important that you keep your profile current. If your contact information changes, please remember to update your information in your profile.
What types of devices are compatible with ChambersWARNS?
Text messaging (SMS network), email accounts, cellphones, digital pagers and landlines are compatible with ChambersWARNS. In addition, devices that are Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) and federal Emergency Alert System (EAS) compatible like televisions, Weather Alert Radios and other devices will also receive ChambersWARNS messages. Standard text message charges may apply from your mobile carrier, depending on your text message plan. If you are unsure about text messaging on your cell phone, please contact your provider.
What number will show up when you send me a text message? What is the phone number and email address that notifications will come from?
When you receive text messages from ChambersWARNS, they will be sent from. We encourage you to add this text number into your mobile phone contacts to easily identify text messages that are alerts. When you receive a TEXT from ChambersWarns, the number will display 995-38. (if you add that as a contact under ChambersWARNS in your phone’s contact list, that’s what will show up thereafter). The Phone Number will show up as: 409) 794-4532 Beaumont, Texas . (if you add that as a contact under ChambersWARNS in your phone’s contact list, that’s what will show up thereafter). In addition, email notifications will come from Chambers County OEM (OEM@chamberstx.gov). We encourage you to add this to your address book or safe list to ensure it does not get marked as SPAM by your email provider. All web browsers are supported.
Who do I contact if I have problems, questions, or comments?
We encourage you to please read the FAQ and Help & Answers in their entirety first. If you still need assistance please contact us at OEM@chamberstx.gov.
How will I receive weather alerts?
Severe weather alerts are automatically issued from the National Weather Service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, for the weather events you choose.