Blackboard Connect™ and AlertNow™ are used to send alerts and safety instructions to their entire communities within minutes, even if areas are evacuated.

Onslow County, North Carolina, home to more than 170,000 residents on the state's Atlantic Coast, has a comprehensive communication plan in place for this year's hurricane season. The county has used the Blackboard Connect platform during dozens of severe weather incidents, including tropical storms and hurricanes, to send critical messages including preparation tips, evacuation alerts, all-clear messages, volunteer updates, and recovery updates.

"Constant and consistent updates can help reduce confusion and reassure the community in the event of a hurricane", says Lisa Whitman-Grace, Onslow County's Public Information Officer. "The Blackboard Connect system has been a critical component of our emergency preparedness and response efforts during hurricane season and throughout the year. We conduct routine tests of the system to make sure residents are prepared to receive urgent information."

As the recent spate of tornadoes and storms across the Southeast demonstrated, severe summer weather is not limited to hurricanes. Blackboard mass-notification clients have sent nearly three million messages as they deal with the aftermath of tornadoes, with automated weather alerts, all-clear messages, boil-water notices, debris-removal notices, and relief-aid information.

The Blackboard notification services are designed to deliver fast, reliable, and seamless communications during severe seasonal storms and time-sensitive events. Blackboard's leading platform for mass notification technology is capable of delivering millions of messages per hour through multiple communication channels - including voice, email, SMS, and social media alerts - with 99.999 percent uptime.