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RoCo Alerts still valuable communications tool, minus hiccup

RoCo Alerts still valuable communications tool, minus hiccup

Rowan County and City of Salisbury staff have few communication tools at their disposal to push emergency messages to the community. But none are more effective than RoCo Alerts. This new program has allowed us to send notifications to a large group of people at once for events such as severe weather, missing elderly residents, chemical spills, and lost children. If necessary, we are able to reach just over 55,000 residents between landline telephones, cell phones and email. While cell phone and email addresses are included via opt-ins, landline telephone numbers are included from the telephone company. Think of it as a reverse 911 call to your home telephone.

On Friday, April 17, the RoCo Alerts team received a telephone call about Gabriel Wyck, a missing 16-year old who presumably ran away from home earlier in the day. We felt that the most efficient way to send this notice was to formulate a RoCo Alert, even given the late time frame. Typically, a one-time text alert is sent. That did not happen in this case.

A hiccup in the system caused many residents to receive multiple telephone calls and text messages regarding this missing child. For this, we apologize. Yes, it was frustrating. Yes, people were awakened from their sleep. And yes, we are implementing plans to keep this from happening again, unless it is a major emergency event, such as a tornado or another life-safety situation. We will also weigh time of day versus immediacy of the event. If you do receive this type of alert in the future, please allow the call to play through which will end the cycle of telephone calls.

RoCo Alerts are not sent on a regular basis. The majority of the alerts sent are to a geographically-specific area. Many people whose number is in the system probably have never received an alert from the system. Please know that we take the safety of our residents very seriously and do all we can to inform you when it is warranted. A missing child alert is always warranted. Luckily, Gabriel was located in another state.

We understand the concerns regarding this latest notification. Please accept our apologies for this hiccup.

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Monthly Newsletter

 TitleDescription
06/2025Lighting the Way and Giving Back | Legacy Mural | City Budget Review
05/2025Rock Out at Cheerwine Festival | Cheers for Shirt Design Winner | Festival Shuttle Service | Festival Information
04/2025Statewide Litter Sweep, Fair Housing Month, BlockWork Call For Neighborhoods, Sidewalk Poetry Call For Poets, Paint the Pavement Call for Artists
03/2025Cheerwine Festival T-Shirt Contest, Spring Spruce Up Week, Protect Your Water Bill, Pilot Traffic Circle
02/2025Tips For Cold Weather, Cheerwine Festival on May 17, Join A City Board, Tree Give-A-Away
01/2025Downtown Winners, BlockWork T-Shirt Contest, MLK Weekend, Wine About Winter, Leaf Collection, Recycling Calendar
12/2024Holiday Contests | Spruce Up Week | Sculpture Show Call For Artists | Empire Hotel Phase 1
11/2024Holiday Events | Safe Shopping Tips | Toss The Grease | Greenway Committee | 130 S. Main St. Survey
08/2024Take A Tree Tour | Officer Awarded For Saving Baby | Sculptures in the Spotlight | Go Out on a limb for the Tree Board
08/2024Take A Tree Tour | Officer Awarded For Saving Baby | Sculptures in the Spotlight | Go Out on a limb for the Tree Board
05/2024Cheerwine Festival: Band Lineup, T-Shirt Contest Winner, Free Shuttles, Safety Guidelines and Ways to Stay Connected.
05/2024Cheerwine Festival: Band Lineup, T-Shirt Contest Winner, Free Shuttles, Safety Guidelines and Ways to Stay Connected.
03/2024Vote on Cheerwine Festival T-shirt Design | What to do for Water Line Breaks | Sign Up For RoCo Alerts | Spring Spruce Up Week
03/2024Vote on Cheerwine Festival T-shirt Design | What to do for Water Line Breaks | Sign Up For RoCo Alerts | Spring Spruce Up Week
03/2024Vote on Cheerwine Festival T-shirt Design | What to do for Water Line Breaks | Sign Up For RoCo Alerts | Spring Spruce Up Week
08/2023An Outdoor Art Adventure | Summer Program Inspires Youth | Salisbury Invests In Community | City Changes Up Departments
07/2023Hurricane Season | RoCo's Homeless Task Force | Waste Assistance Program | Citizen's Academy | Community Fair and National Night Out
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03/2023Beautify Salisbury - Litter Sweeps, BlockWork, Adopt-A-Street, We Dig Salisbury | Cheerwine Festival | Salisbury311
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10/2022Tips for Trick-or-Treaters | United Way Rowan | Crime Prevention Month | 4th Cultivating Community Conversations | Leaf Collection
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07/2022Sculpture Show | Citizen's Academy | Hurricane Season Tips | West End Survey | Council Approves Budget
07/2022Sculpture Show | Citizen's Academy | Hurricane Season Tips | West End Survey | Council Approves Budget
07/2022Sculpture Show | Citizen's Academy | Hurricane Season Tips | West End Survey | Council Approves Budget
07/2022Sculpture Show | Citizen's Academy | Hurricane Season Tips | West End Survey | Council Approves Budget
05/2022New City Manager | Cheerwine Festival | Local Humanitarian Awards | BlockWork Applications Open
05/2022New City Manager | Cheerwine Festival | Local Humanitarian Awards | BlockWork Applications Open
05/2022New City Manager | Cheerwine Festival | Local Humanitarian Awards | BlockWork Applications Open
05/2022New City Manager | Cheerwine Festival | Local Humanitarian Awards | BlockWork Applications Open
05/2022New City Manager | Cheerwine Festival | Local Humanitarian Awards | BlockWork Applications Open
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02/2022Interim City Manager | Tips to Prevent Frozen Pipes | Apply For A Board | City Begins Budget Process | Employee Spotlight
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08/2021Rowan Creek Week | Back-to-School Resource Fair | New Crime Information Center | Blockwork Awarded Lowe's Grant For $100,000
04/2021School Officers | New Look For Downtown | Local Humanitarians Receive EDK Awards | Employee Spotlight
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12/2020SRU Exceeds Water Standard | Bring On 2021 Virtual New Year's Eve | Public Input Wanted
10/2020ACCESS16 Now WSRG-TV | Voting Coming Up Fast | Volunteer For BlockWork | RCUW Donates Cameras To SPD
08/2020Shop Local | Lock Your Car | Utility Bills | Enjoy Art Outdoors | Census Extended
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09/2019Butterfly Release | Scoop the Poop | Dog Swim Party | Transit Month | Blockwork | Neighborhood Officer Map
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04/2019Festival Music Lineup | Locals Receive EDK Awards | Business with the City | SPD Foot Pursuit 5K | City Nature Challenge
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03/2019Celebrate Spring At Hurley Park | Runner-Friendly Community | Cheerwine Festival Volunteers | Employee Spotlight | SPD Ride-A-Long Program | Contact Directory
02/2019Cheerwine Festival Vendor Applications Open | Get Involved, Apply Now | Fair Housing Seeks Volunteers | Council Retreat Open to Public | Snow Safety | Employee Spotlight | Main St. Conference in Salisbury
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02/2019Cheerwine Festival Vendor Applications Open | Get Involved, Apply Now | Fair Housing Seeks Volunteers | Council Retreat Open to Public | Snow Safety | Employee Spotlight | Main St. Conference in Salisbury
02/2019Cheerwine Festival Vendor Applications Open | Get Involved, Apply Now | Fair Housing Seeks Volunteers | Council Retreat Open to Public | Snow Safety | Employee Spotlight | Main St. Conference in Salisbury
02/2019Cheerwine Festival Vendor Applications Open | Get Involved, Apply Now | Fair Housing Seeks Volunteers | Council Retreat Open to Public | Snow Safety | Employee Spotlight | Main St. Conference in Salisbury
01/2019EDK Nominations | Holiday Storefront Awards | Celebrating MLK Weekend | Employee Spotlight | Winter Spruce Up Week | Transit Survey | New Tools Keeps An Eye On Water

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