Storm Information System Will Share Resources With Community

United Way of Southwest Louisiana's team has launched a new way for community members in Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and Jeff Davis parish to receive natural disaster-related information specific to the region. By registering online at UNITEDWAYSWLA.ORG/STORM or by texting "STORMSWLA" to 40403, anyone can receive up-to-date information from credible sources before, during and following a natural disaster.

United Way of Southwest Louisiana's sources for information contains federal, state and local partnerships at levels of decision-making. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) supplied the team with the latest storm-related toolkit for public sharing. Other collaborations are with volunteer groups, city governments and law enforcement agencies.

"We have our 211 system that operates 24/7/365. Anyone can call or text for critical resources. This new system is another avenue to share planning tips, evacuation procedures and other types of information," says President and CEO Denise Durel. "The community comes to United Way for information that we're already receiving from our trusted partners. This is another great way to support our friends and neighbors."

Plans for the system include a way to share food or shelter-related information as it changes during an emergency. Registrants will eventually be able to tailor the information to only receive what they are interested in.

For more ways to receive timely information from United Way of Southwest Louisiana, follow the social media channels or register for the email newsletter online at unitedwayswla.org/newsletter.