Deschutes County SO, Oregon DHS conducting outreach to Deschutes Alerts subscribers with additional needs
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Starting this week, the Oregon Department of Human Services, in partnership with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, will conduct phone and email outreach to certain people who have signed up for Deschutes Alerts and have other needs.
Deschutes Alerts is one way first responders in Deschutes County notify people of life-threatening emergencies such as wildfires. If you live or work in Deschutes County, you should sign up for Deschutes Alerts.
When people sign up for Deschutes Alerts, they can identify as having one or more additional needs such as medical oxygen dependency, dialysis or wheelchair/mobility challenges. There are 11 additional need categories.
If you are a person who has signed up for Deschutes Alerts and have also identified as having one or more additional needs, Oregon DHS may contact you to help you update your information.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is committed to helping connect people in our community to emergency information through the Deschutes Alerts program, Sgt. Nathan Garibay said in Monday's announcement.
"When people sign up, they can optionally let us know they have additional needs," Garibay told NewsChannel 21. "During a disaster, this information can assist us in special outreach to those persons. It is completely voluntary, just like signing up for emergency alerts.
"This outreach specific to those that self-identified as having additional needs started last year as we want to provide special support as needed. DHS is a partner in that they have resources and are uniquely qualified to support this kind of effort," he added.
You can log into your Deschutes Alerts account or create a new account by visiting DeschutesAlerts.org. If you need assistance accessing or creating an account, please call 541-388-6501 during business hours. If you want to find another Oregon county’s emergency notification system, visit ORAlert.gov.
