Yankeetown (Levy County, FL) is located just upstream from where the Withlacoochee River flows into the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to being a commercial fishing town with oak shaded streets draped with Spanish moss and lined with old Florida cracker homes, Yankeetown serves as home to some and second, vacation home to others. Recently, the resolve of Yankeetown residents and local officials was tested when Hurricane Idalia came ashore just north of the community as a category 4 hurricane.

Wesleyville is a quaint borough with beautiful neighborhoods located in Erie County, Pennsylvania. As a City of Erie suburb, it is located less than two miles south of Lake Erie.

Wesleyville, like other municipalities in Erie County, has the resources and experience to handle snow. The Borough averages roughly 107 inches of snow a year as compared to the state of Pennsylvania which averages only 40 inches annually. Recently, Wesleyville endured a snowfall that tested its resolve.

Effective and direct resident communication is critical to Chief David Lash of the Northern York County Regional Police Department (NYCRPD), which serves 11 municipalities and roughly 85,000 residents.
“We serve roughly 20% of York County and have a responsibility to keep residents safe and informed 24/7/365,” explains Lash.

Andrew Shaffer, manager of New Freedom Borough (PA-York County) wanted a better way to communicate with the 4900 plus residents the borough services. The borough had tried social media but ultimately shut down their Facebook page because of the spread of misinformation and arguments among residents. Andrew, who has experience with emergency alert systems, opted not to purchase one due to how difficult they are to use and their inability to handle community events and more helpful information.

Greenwood Township (Crawford County, Pennsylvania) recently adopted Savvy Citizen to keep residents better informed and more engaged with township updates. After discovering the service at the PSATS annual conference, Township Secretary Sarah Dennis attended a demonstration and was immediately impressed. “We saw a demonstration and saw how extremely easy it is to use,” said Dennis.

Caernarvon Township Police Chief Paul Stolz was off-duty at home on a Saturday, enjoying a televised baseball game when his phone rang. Two inmates from the local
youth detention facility (less than a half mile away from residential homes in Caernarvon Township) had
escaped and were at large.