(Washington, DC) - The District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (DC HSEMA) is hosting an online survey to find out how we can improve emergency preparedness and customer service by better understanding the needs and interests of Alert DC users.

HSEMA invites all DC residents, visitors, and subscribers of Alert DC to participate in the survey by going to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/hsema. The survey will be open from June 22 through July 6, 2011.

During an emergency, HSEMA uses Alert DC to deliver important emergency information and protective actions. This alert system provides a personal connection to real-time updates, instructions on where to go, what to do, or what to avoid, and who to contact during an emergency. Additionally, various District agencies use Alert DC for public notifications, including emergency incidents, traffic, weather, utility incidents, crime, and planned events.

Alert DC is available to DC residents, commuters, visitors, or anyone else interested in following events in the nation’s capital. Notifications can be received via email, cell phone, and pager/Blackberry. Subscribers can customize their service by neighborhood(s) of interest, types of alerts, and time of day.

To sign up for Alert DC, go to To sign up for Alert DC, go to https://textalert.ema.dc.gov..