As we kick off preparedness for the 2023 hurricane season, the
Walton County Emergency Management (WCEM) department will be conducting their fifth
annual TEST of the AlertWalton Emergency Notification System, on Thursday, June
1, 2023, at 6:00pm.
The drill is designed to test the abilities of the AlertWalton notification system, and in the
event of an emergency, residents will receive important information to take action. This
exercise helps the public gain a better understanding of the evacuation process and their
zone before hurricane season. Throughout the exercise, the public will receive notifications
based on their evacuation zones, including zones A, B, C, D, and E. Additionally, residents
outside of a evacuation zone will receive notification with helpful preparedness information
for the upcoming hurricane season.
“Providing strong communication and building a trusting relationship with our community is
our department’s priority,” said Jeff Goldberg, Director of Walton County Emergency
Management. “Performing this drill on a yearly basis allows our residents to better prepare
for future emergencies and helps our staff find ways to improve our practices.”
Messaging for this drill will mimic a real-world evacuation order, informing the contact of
their evacuation zone and preparedness resources for this storm season. Those not in an
evacuation zone will receive a test message that advises them of hurricane season and
where to go for preparedness information. Data used for this exercise will include White
Pages, Yellow Pages, and existing Web Registration data in the AlertWalton system. During
an actual emergency, in addition to the above databases, 911 data along with the
Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts will be used.
An After-Action Survey will be live immediately following the exercise for the public to use to
provide feedback to WCEM to help improve the AlertWalton Program survey. The survey can
be found here: 2023 AlertWalton Test Exercise After Action Review Survey
For more information on AlertWalton or this exercise, please contact Catie Feeney,
AlertWalton Administrator at alertwalton@waltoncountyem.org.
Walton County Emergency Management (WCEM) department will be conducting their fifth
annual TEST of the AlertWalton Emergency Notification System, on Thursday, June
1, 2023, at 6:00pm.
The drill is designed to test the abilities of the AlertWalton notification system, and in the
event of an emergency, residents will receive important information to take action. This
exercise helps the public gain a better understanding of the evacuation process and their
zone before hurricane season. Throughout the exercise, the public will receive notifications
based on their evacuation zones, including zones A, B, C, D, and E. Additionally, residents
outside of a evacuation zone will receive notification with helpful preparedness information
for the upcoming hurricane season.
“Providing strong communication and building a trusting relationship with our community is
our department’s priority,” said Jeff Goldberg, Director of Walton County Emergency
Management. “Performing this drill on a yearly basis allows our residents to better prepare
for future emergencies and helps our staff find ways to improve our practices.”
Messaging for this drill will mimic a real-world evacuation order, informing the contact of
their evacuation zone and preparedness resources for this storm season. Those not in an
evacuation zone will receive a test message that advises them of hurricane season and
where to go for preparedness information. Data used for this exercise will include White
Pages, Yellow Pages, and existing Web Registration data in the AlertWalton system. During
an actual emergency, in addition to the above databases, 911 data along with the
Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts will be used.
An After-Action Survey will be live immediately following the exercise for the public to use to
provide feedback to WCEM to help improve the AlertWalton Program survey. The survey can
be found here: 2023 AlertWalton Test Exercise After Action Review Survey
For more information on AlertWalton or this exercise, please contact Catie Feeney,
AlertWalton Administrator at alertwalton@waltoncountyem.org.
