Billings has an emergency alert system. So why are only 10% of people signed up?

If you want to know when fires, floods, tornados and other disasters are heading for Yellowstone County, you have to opt in for emergency alerts.

But, less than 10% of the population has signed up for the potentially life-saving local information. And even those who have still might not be receiving critical notifications.

The county switched to a new emergency alert system, Everbridge , in January 2024. It replaced the CodeRED platform that had been in use since 2017 when the county decommissioned its warning sirens, which were only for tornados and were rarely used.

With Everbridge, also known as Yellowstone County Inform , people can receive alerts via phone, email or texts to their homes and businesses. Derek Yeager, the county’s disaster emergency services director, said the