Submitted by Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection
(August 10, 2025) — The Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection is urging more residents to sign up for the CT Alert emergency notification system as tropical storm activity increases in the Atlantic Ocean.
“We’re pleased that we’ve seen more people take the time to sign up for CT Alert,’’ said DESPP Commissioner Ronnell A. Higgins. “It takes just a few minutes and it provides an essential early warning for residents about imminent threats to health and safety.”
More than 5,000 residents have signed up for CT Alert just over the past month — more than during any one of the past three years — bringing the total to nearly 226,000 people who have signed up for the emergency notifications.
“One of the best reasons to sign up is that it gives you the opportunity to get notifications on your land line, but also on any other communication device that you use,’’ said DESPP Deputy Commissioner Brenda Bergeron.
Bergeron said that signing up for the emergency alerting and notification system is easy and can be done online or by texting CTALERT to 888-777.
“This will help you prepare before you find yourself in a bad situation,’ said state Emergency Management Director William Turner. “If we know something big is coming, we can send out an alert.”
Josh Cingranelli, a meteorologist and Emergency Management Coordinator for the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, said that we could see still a number of storms this summer and fall.
“NOAA has just released its updated forecast, continuing to call for an above-normal hurricane season. This has forecasters and emergency management officials along the Atlantic Coast on high alert,’’ Cingranelli said.
For more information about tropical storms and Connecticut, visit our online Hurricane Awareness Hub.
Here are some additional suggestions to prepare for potential severe weather:
— Download the CTPrepares app for your mobile phone so you know how to prepare for any emergency.
— Create an emergency kit to keep in your home so you are ready for any emergency.
— Put together a “go bag” with copies of important documents, prescriptions, battery-operated radio, and other items such as a cell phone charger.
— Make sure you have an evacuation plan, particularly if you live in a hurricane evacuation zone.
