Water shut off 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.

Email

Subject: Water shut off on Oak Street Tuesday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Residents of Oak Street,

The water will be shut off on Tuesday, June 9, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. while the contractor repairs a main valve.

Please fill a pitcher and run the dishwasher before 9:00 a.m. When the water comes back on, run a cold tap for a minute to clear air from the line.

If the work runs late, we will send another notice.

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

Oak Hollow HOA office

Text

DewAlert - Oak Hollow: Water off Tue 9am-1pm on Oak St for a valve repair. Fill a pitcher before 9. Questions: 727-555-0100

DewAlert adds the gray start, "DewAlert - Oak Hollow:", so residents know who the text is from. You write the rest. 123 characters in all. One text.

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

DewAlert - Oak Hollow: Water off Tue 9am-1pm on Oak St for a valve repair. Fill a pitcher before 9. Questions: 727-555-0100 Reply STOP to opt out

145 characters. Still one text.

Phone call

This is the Oak Hollow office with a notice for Oak Street. The water will be shut off Tuesday from 9 in the morning until 1 in the afternoon for a valve repair. Please fill a pitcher before 9. When the water comes back, run a cold tap for a minute. Again: water off Tuesday, 9 to 1, on Oak Street. 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.