Marion County is now part of the Alert Iowa statewide system, which can be used by state and local officials to quickly inform citizens of an emergency situation.

Marion County Emergency Management Coordinator Jeff Anderson says while they are using this system to get the message out, it only provides limited information. He says emergency services will always refer citizens to KNIA/KRLS to get local information.
You can hear more about the new Marion County emergency alert system on In Depth with Dr. Bob Leonard.