Boil water notice to residents

The same notice three ways: an email with the details, a text of 160 characters or fewer, and a phone script of about 30 seconds.

For passing on a boil water notice from the water utility or the health department. They set the official words and say when it ends. Quote them, and link to their notice in the email.

Email

Subject: Boil water notice from the county water utility

Residents of Oak Hollow,

The county water utility has issued a boil water notice for Oak Hollow after a water main break on Palm Drive.

Until the utility lifts the notice, bring tap water to a rolling boil for one minute before you drink it, cook with it, make ice, or brush your teeth with it. Or use bottled water.

The utility's notice is on its website. When it is lifted, we will tell you.

Questions: call the office at 727-555-0100 or reply to this email.

Oak Hollow HOA office

Text

DewAlert - Oak Hollow: Boil water notice from the county utility. Boil tap water 1 min before drinking or cooking. Questions: 727-555-0100

DewAlert adds the gray start, "DewAlert - Oak Hollow:", so residents know who the text is from. You write the rest. 138 characters in all. One text.

A resident's first text after signing up also ends with "Reply STOP to opt out":

DewAlert - Oak Hollow: Boil water notice from the county utility. Boil tap water 1 min before drinking or cooking. Questions: 727-555-0100 Reply STOP to opt out

160 characters. Still one text.

Phone call

This is the Oak Hollow office. The county water utility has issued a boil water notice for Oak Hollow after a water main break. Until the utility lifts it, boil tap water for one minute before you drink it, cook with it, or brush your teeth with it. Or use bottled water. We will tell you when the notice is lifted. Questions, call the office at 727-555-0100. Thank you.

About 28 seconds read aloud.

Writing tips

One notice, three ways.

Email

Put the street and the time in the subject. Many residents read only that.

Text

Keep the whole text to 160 characters, counting the start DewAlert adds with your community's name, and the STOP line on a resident's first text. An emoji or a curly quote can cut that to 70 and make it two messages. Leave out links, and give a phone number.

Phone

Say who is calling first. Say the main fact twice. Write times the way you would say them: "9 in the morning," not "9:00 a.m." Keep it near 30 seconds, because voicemail may cut a long one off.

DewAlert

Write all three on one page.

DewAlert sends one notice by email, text, and a recorded phone call, written separately for each, to the residents who asked for it.

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These templates are for everyday notices. They are not the official notice for a meeting, an election, a budget, a fine, or a lien. They do not replace your county's emergency alerts.