Get text alerts on your mobile phone

The Porirua Emergency Management Office uses Twitter as one of the ways it sends out emergency alerts to the public. These can be received as SMS text messages.

Text alerts are free, but signing up will cost you four texts at your standard rate.

Unfortunately, if you're on 2Degrees, you won't be able to receive them. Sorry!

You will receive a few test messages a year and any other message will be a real alert.

Alerts may include:

• major road closures


• major water or power outages


• severe weather warnings


• tsunami warnings


• earthquake information on local quakes


• and any other large emergencies

If you receive an emergency alert, forward it to your friends.

Sign up now!

Wait for a reply after each text sent. If you already receive tweets to your mobile phone, go to step 5.

1. Text the word "start" to 8987.



2. Reply with the word "signup".



3. Think of a unique username. (You won't need to remember it again, so you could use your name followed by some random characters, eg "Jim456bob".)



4. Reply with your chosen username. (If you are already on Twitter, use your existing username and it will ask you for your password)



5. Send / Reply "follow poriruaemo" to 8987.