Storm preparation notice

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.

A storm notice from the office covers what the community is doing: furniture, the pool, trash pickup. It also works as a hurricane closure notice for the pool and the clubhouse. Evacuation orders and shelters come from the county. Say so in every version.

Email

Subject: Storm preparation: please finish by Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.

Residents of Oak Hollow,

A tropical storm may bring strong wind and heavy rain by Thursday. Please finish these before Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.:

Bring in patio furniture, planters, and trash cans.
Move cars out of the low spots on Cypress Court.

The pool and clubhouse close Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. Thursday's trash pickup is cancelled.

For evacuation orders and shelters, follow your county's emergency alerts. This notice is from the office and does not replace them.

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

Oak Hollow HOA office

Text

DewAlert - Oak Hollow: Storm prep: bring in furniture and trash cans by Wed 6pm. Pool closes Wed 5pm. Evacuations: follow county alerts.

DewAlert adds the gray start, "DewAlert - Oak Hollow:", so residents know who the text is from. You write the rest. 136 characters in all. One text.

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

DewAlert - Oak Hollow: Storm prep: bring in furniture and trash cans by Wed 6pm. Pool closes Wed 5pm. Evacuations: follow county alerts. Reply STOP to opt out

158 characters. Still one text.

Phone call

This is the Oak Hollow office. A storm may bring strong wind and rain by Thursday. Please bring in patio furniture and trash cans by Wednesday at 6 in the evening. The pool and clubhouse close Wednesday at 5. Thursday's trash pickup is cancelled. For evacuation orders, follow your county's emergency alerts. Questions, call the office at 727-555-0100. Thank you.

About 24 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.

Get the free storm-season notice kit See it in 15 minutes

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.