South Padre Island emergency officials are urging residents and visitors to sign up for the city's emergency alert system as hurricane season gets underway.

The system, run by Rave Mobile Safety, can send alerts through text message, a phone call or email to anyone who signs up, not just locals.

D'Pizza Joint Owner Michael Sularz said the tool could help not just residents but his employees and customers as well.

"I think it's useful because we don't know when we have a weather event if the lights will stay on or not and cable goes out with the power," Sularz said.

South Padre Island Fire Department Chief Jim Pigg said the system is designed for immediate threats, not general weather updates.

"It's used for notifications on something that's pending," Pigg said. "It's not a weather update; it's not sending out a forecast. [it alerts you] if there's a hurricane that's immediate, or if there's a tornado that's immediate."

Click here to sign up to receive the alerts.

"It can just be a warning," Pigg said.

The city said the last mass alert went out during the 2021 freeze.

"It's nice to have the notification system there, but of course, like any situation, I hope we don't need it," Sularz said.

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