A mass alert system available for free to citizens has been renewed for another five years thanks to ExxonMobil covering the program’s subscription costs.
A presentation was made to the Yazoo County Board of Supervisors with ExxonMobil representatives providing $27,500 to the county to cover the program’s subscription costs for a five-year period, which is the maximum time frame allowed for renewal.
Jack Willingham, the county emergency management director, said the mass alert system has been used by Yazoo County for the last four years, adding that the program was developed following the gas leak and pipe rupture in the Satartia area in 2020.
“It was originally sponsored by Denbury, who owned the pipeline at the time,” Willingham said. “Denbury has been purchased by ExxonMobil, which has backed us completely.”
The former program, originally named Rave Mobile Safety, has been rebranded to Alert Yazoo.
“We tried to make it a tool for residents to receive notifications, weather updates, storms, road closures, any kind of evacuation notices,” Willingham said. “It has come up for renewal now, and Mike Smith, who represents ExxonMobil, is here to make a presentation to better assist us.”
Smith, public and stakeholder engagement lead with ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, told county leaders that following the purchase of Denbury in 2023, ExxonMobil saw the importance of continuing several sponsorships and initiatives within the community.
“But we also looked around the corner to the future,” Smith said. “We looked for ways to continue to grow and solidify our relationship, not only with Yazoo City but with Yazoo County and certainly in the south Delta region of the state of Mississippi. With that mind, this renewal of the subscription for Alert Yazoo was coming due next month.”
Smith said ExxonMobil is proud to continue the alert system renewal for the next five years, covering the $27,500 subscription cost.
“The Alert Yazoo is an integral part of emergency response and capabilities here in the county,” Smith said. “It is important that citizens take advantage of this free program. It is absolutely vital because it gives (Willingham) and his office staff the opportunity to communicate timely and efficiently to a lot of people at the same time.”
“Thank you for the opportunity to support this wonderful community and all that it means, not only to our company, but all that you do,” he added. “We are one organization, one family, that are moving forward in this community in a good way.”
