How Does MdReady Prepare Maryland? Listen To This Podcast

211 Maryland and the Maryland Department of Emergency Management talked with Kendal Lee on the Preparedness in your Pocket podcast. Kendal is the Program Administrator for the Maryland Emergency Preparedness Network, which provides no-cost emergency preparedness education training and resources to home and community-based professionals, patients, and their caregivers.

Jorge Castillo, Spokesperson and Brand Manager for Communications and Outreach at the Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM), and Kenyn Benjamin, a certified business architect and operations consultant with 211 Maryland, both joined Kendal for the conversation.

They talked about MdReady, an emergency alert text message available in Maryland through a partnership with MDEM and the Maryland Information Network (MIN), which powers 211 Maryland.

You can sign up to receive these alerts in your language and for your preferred location(s) through the website or by texting MdReady to 211-631.

By texting MdReady, you agree to receive recurring automated messages.

You can also listen on Spotify.

Role of emergency alerts

“Why are emergency alerts so important for Maryland residents to be aware of, and what role do they play in keeping our community safe?” Kendal asked.

5:48 Jorge

It’s a simple answer for me. It has to do with being prepared. Right? You know, at home, you have groceries because you know that you’re going to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Just like when you go to the office you prepare your lunch and take it with you. Emergency alerts allow you to get ahead of that potential disturbance to your life that’s coming. So, it’s giving you a heads up, and depending on the type of alert, it’s saying, hey, start thinking about this because this may happen, or it may be, hey, this is going to happen, so let’s get going, or this is happening now. Take action immediately. So, it’s about preparedness. Now, with the digital world, you know we can have alerts delivered in seconds, and that has resulted in many lives being saved.

6:43 Kendal

I appreciate your sharing that I think what you’re speaking to is that, as human beings, the act of preparedness or the practice of preparedness is really something that’s innate. It’s not anything different than what we already do each day, and so it absolutely lets you empower each other to tap into that skill that we already have by using a tool like emergency alerts. It sounds like there have just been so many advancements over the years that we are now bringing this information to our fingertips when it matters most.

Types of alerts Marylanders receive

7:13 Kendal

Could you then speak to when we receive an alert, what types of alerts Maryland residents can expect to receive? What are some of the common emergency alerts that come through our devices?

7:30 Jorge

The ones that you’re probably going to be the most familiar with are the ones that make your cell phone vibrate and give you that tone, and that is known as a wireless emergency alert, and that is part of a federal system of alerts.

For example, you might get it because there is an imminent threat alert. So it could be a tornado warning, a flash flood warning, or even a tsunami warning, which, you know, we don’t see a lot of here in Maryland. But potentially, in California, you may be getting one of those hurricane or typhoon warnings as well, depending on where you are.

8:12
And then, severe wind warnings as well. So those are the imminent threat alerts. There are also public safety alerts as part of the WEA—the wireless emergency alert system. That would be an evacuation order or a boil water advisory, for example.

Or, more recently, we actually at MDEM coordinated with Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Anne Arundel County when the precision demolition was taking place to remove the debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

So, we sent an alert around that perimeter where people were likely to hear the booms, warning them about that. That’s a public safety alert.

8:50
Then, there’s the Amber alerts, which you’re probably all familiar with—a child under 18 that has been abducted or believed to have been abducted.

9:02
And finally, you receive a presidential alert. This is reserved for national emergencies that can only be sent by the President of the United States.

So, all of those are sent via the wireless emergency alert system as part of the greater federal IPA system. You might see some of these alerts on the radio or on your TV. These are also part of that larger array of alerts that you may receive.

9:21
Other alerts are things that an emergency management department like ours may do. So, I know we’re going to talk about the MdReady alert system. That is a system that will give you a heads-up if something is happening or if it’s imminently going to happen.

9:40
Other alerts that you may receive if you’re subscribed to social media will come as a tweet (formerly Twitter). So, for example, when the National Weather Service issues a flash flood watch or a blizzard warning, as soon as they send that alert out, we automatically share that information with all our followers through our social media as well.

And another type of alert that you may see is while you’re driving down if you are driving down the expressway or a highway; you may actually see those digital billboards that will pop up. We use them as well. We have a partnership with Clear Channel. If there is a tornado watch, a tornado warning, or high winds, you will see those posted there.

These are the types of alerts that you may come across as a Marylander.

10:42 Kendal
Thank you for painting this picture for us, Jorge. It sounds like the wireless emergency alerts, otherwise known as the WEA, are a component and tool within the broader IPAWS federal framework that is specifically designed to deliver wireless alerts to mobile devices on a national basis.

Now that you’ve discussed our national options for communicating emergencies, could you share more about the options unique to our state of Maryland?

State alerts: MdReady

11:19 Jorge

Yeah, and actually, those that I mentioned are all available in Maryland. They’re the national alerts that come to everyone.

When you start moving down from the federal to the state level, at the state level, you have MdReady, for example, which will send you alerts if there’s an event that’s going to affect the majority of the population or if it’s significant enough that it only affects the county.

11:36
For example, we have an incoming winter storm warning for Garrett County. They are probably going to get upwards of a foot of snow. There are likely going to be some power outages and all that, so we can actually target just Garrett County based on the number of people that have signed up.

Now, MdReady is an opt-in system, so people have to sign up. We’re going to talk about how to do that later in this podcast. But instead of sending it to the Eastern Shore, we can just send it directly to them.

Lastly, at the local level, several counties and the District of Columbia have specific jurisdictional alerts that they send. These only go to that geographic jurisdiction and could include anything from road closures to boil water advisories or warnings to stay away from a specific area.

12:41 Kendal
Thank you for sharing both the federal and state emergency alert options, Jorge. To summarize for our listeners, we discussed how the IPAWS federal framework integrates both federal and state communication systems, including the WEA wireless emergency alerts, which are available nationwide to deliver critical pieces of information directly to our devices.

Then, in Maryland, in addition to these federal tools, it sounds like residents have access to statewide emergency alerts through their local or countywide emergency departments, their health departments, and hyperlocal systems targeting specific counties or area codes.

History of MdReady in Maryland

13:30 Kendal
I think this is a perfect time to transition into talking about a unique emergency alert option offered here in Maryland called the MdReady alert system.

Jorge, I would love for you to first share with our listeners the history of the partnership between MDEM and 211 Maryland that made MD Ready alerts possible.

13:51 Jorge
Yeah, so in 2018, we at MDEM began conversations with the CEO at the time of 211 Maryland. What we realized is that aside from social media alerts or hoping that the press would amplify one of our alerts, there was no ability for us to proactively inform the public.

Remember, the WEA alerts are triggered by specific things, so you’re restricted. You can’t just send a WEA alert whenever you like. So, we needed a way to have more flexibility—not only to send alerts but also to send preparedness tips.

We started our conversation in late 2018. By 2019, we were finalizing our memorandum of understanding and setting up our alert system.

We started small as we tested and perfected the system. Then, around the end of 2019, we started noticing COVID-19 in China and how it was spreading throughout the world. By the time we got the first cases in Maryland, we had already established our text alert system, so we were ready to go.

15:16
After COVID-19, we used it a lot. Some days, we would use it daily. We used it not only to keep people alert about where COVID was and the precautions to take but also to inform them about mandates and restrictions. For example, when businesses were closed and then started reopening, we sent text alerts to let people know which businesses could now open.

When we moved into the vaccination phase, we used MdReady extensively to let people know about vaccination phases, who could get vaccinated, and to generally keep them informed about changes since the situation was very fluid.

15:56
It changed every day so that really strengthened our partnership. 211 Maryland was not only a partner in delivering these text alerts by providing the architecture to send them out, but they also worked with us in our State Emergency Operations Center.

They also stood up call centers so that if people had questions about the texts we sent, COVID, or vaccinations, they could call. They would be routed to 211 Maryland. They have a number of people who were trained on how to answer all these questions, so it was wonderful from the beginning. It has slowly but surely gotten more robust.

Our friendship and partnership has grown.

We have roughly 200,000 subscribers and are hoping to grow more as people learn about the new MdReady system

16:44 Kendal
Thank you, Jorge, for sharing about that longstanding and what sounds like a continually growing partnership between MDEM and 211 Maryland. It’s really amazing to hear how MdReady text alerts, which launched in 2020, have been such an important tool for keeping Marylanders informed both before, during, and after a crisis.

And I really love how you mentioned how the new technology allows the state to reach subscribers within minutes. What a game changer!

When you think about it, 2020 was such a pivotal year for us all. If we all take a moment to reflect on that, it will be pivotal for us for different reasons.

It wasn’t just the start of the pandemic, but it was also a time when clear and timely communication became absolutely critical in the world of emergency preparedness communication and public health communications.

17:38
And it sounds like the MdReady alerts were so powerful for connecting with people during that time by providing updates about public health resources and emergencies as they unfolded in real time.

So, I really appreciate you highlighting the roles these alerts played in keeping us all prepared and resilient during such uncertain times.

How MdReady works

18:04
And now that we’ve been introduced to the MD Ready alert system, Kenyn, I’d like to turn it back over to you here. Could you walk our audience through how the system works?

“It’s very simple. Someone picks up their mobile device, dials or puts in the number 211-631, types MdReady, and hits send,” explained Kenyn Benjamin with 211 Maryland.

They are signed up to receive these emergency alerts. We have evolved significantly, but it’s very practical for those that want to utilize the service. And, you know, I highly encourage anyone out there to stay informed by signing up for MdReady.

18:39
You know, as Jorge discussed, we have evolved. Where we only had one way for individuals to sign up, we now have the opportunity for a person to sign up via their cell phones or enroll online through a web form, as long as they have a mobile device.

We have evolved from sending out alerts in only English and Spanish to now having a system that can support over 185 different languages. So, users are now able to set what language they want to receive their emergency alerts in. It is power packed with accessibility to support all of Maryland and all Marylanders.

But it is, again, a very simple system.

19:32
We’ve been able to establish opportunities to now receive notifications based on region. Before, if there was some type of disaster or event in a particular area, everyone received that mass alert.

But now, individuals can sign up for one or as many county-based alerts as they want—or receive all alerts across the region. So it is, again, very simple, but very robust and very much catered to serve all of Maryland.

20:09 Kendal
Thank you, Kenyn, for helping us understand in a practical sense how the MdReady alert system works.

I want to highlight the word “simple” here because you’ve mentioned it several times throughout the conversation, and it stood out to me because emergencies, as we all know, are anything but simple—they are complex and stressful.

20:28
And so, when we’re facing these circumstances, I believe simplicity is exactly what we’re seeking.

So, it’s so refreshing to hear that this system is designed with that in mind.

And even though the system is simple in application, the technology is quite robust, as you mentioned. I love that subscribers can choose the language they wish to receive alerts in. I love that this technology has the ability to customize alerts by county or area code which makes it even more personal and effective.

21:24
What’s great about these alerts is that they’re accessible and tailored to individual needs, which I think not only supports your safety but the safety of those you love.

21:35
So whether you’re signing up for alerts for your personal peace of mind or professionally for your work, it sounds like such an invaluable tool.

21:42
So thank you again for breaking this down so clearly for us, Kenyn.

Signing up for MdReady

21:48 Kendal

Now, Jorge, back to you. Would you walk our audience through how they can sign up for MD-ready alerts and start using this incredible resource?

21:54 Jorge
Yeah, depending on your preference, you know, maybe you just want to text real quick—MdReady to 211-631.

Or you have your laptop open, you go to md.gov/alerts, which gets you to the sign-up page.

So, those are probably the two best ways to sign up.

I do want to emphasize what you said, Kendal, about those people with functional access needs and the people who care about them. You may not be with them 24/7, but this is a great way if you have somebody you love who maybe lives in a county that is different than yours, you can sign up to receive alerts for that county.

22:34
Let’s say my mom used to live in Gaithersburg, right, in Montgomery County, and I live in Baltimore County. Sometimes there are tornado watches and tornado warnings in Montgomery County that are not affecting us. So I would have the ability to sign up for Montgomery County and Baltimore County.

Whenever I would receive an alert like that, I would be able to take action, you know—either giving them a call to make sure everything is okay or, if it’s going to be bad enough, going to pick her up and take her somewhere else if there’s enough leeway.

But if you don’t have the alerts, you have absolutely no time. You don’t want to be caught in an emergency like that or know that somebody you love may have been in potential danger.

This is a way to assuage that anxiety. You can know what’s happening in terms of alerts for another person in another county or locality in Maryland.

23:32 Kendal
I appreciate that. Thank you very much. Kenyn, I’m going to bounce it back to you for a moment. It sounds like we can sign up either by phone or by computer. But can you share a bit more about how, if I wanted to sign up for different county alerts, how would I do that?

Yeah, so if you text MdReady to 211-631, you’re going to receive a text back with a link. That link will take you to our web form.

That web form is where you can begin to specify your preferences in terms of what language you’d like to receive notifications in and what regions or counties you’d like to receive notifications for.

Right on that web form, you’ll be able to select one or multiple counties and your preferred language and then submit it.

Immediately, our system will update your preferences, and you’ll begin to receive alerts based on those jurisdictions and in the language you specified.

Kenyn went on to explain that if you move, relocate, or need to update your information, you can text MdReady again. It knows you’re already part of the system, so it’s not signing you up again, but it gives you an opportunity to receive the update link. That link will take you back to the web form.

You put in your phone number, update the information, and hit submit again. Immediately, whatever changes you’ve made will take effect. So again, very simple, very easy to use, but very accessible.

25:27 Kendal
I appreciate you speaking to the “how-to” again.

Thank you very much for doing that. So we can specify not only the language but also the country. Are there options to customize the type of alerts we can receive that MD Ready puts out?

25:48 Kenyn
Yeah, so the system is programmed to send any type of emergency alert—anything that the Department of Emergency Management has identified as critical for Marylanders to be aware of.

At this time, all alerts that come through are related to things deemed important for you to know—severe weather, anything that might be related to public health threats which we’ve experienced all through the pandemic. Any other emergencies that could potentially or should be known to Marylanders.

26:31 Kendal
I think that’s great that it’s all-inclusive and that any and everything that you share is with the purpose of looking out for safety.

So, thank you for sharing the technical and practical side of things so it feels like we can do it.

Accessibility

26:50 Kendal
Now that we know “how,” Jorge, I  going to turn it back over to you. I wanted to talk more about the accessibility of this resource. I think that’s a lens that the EPN, but I myself personally, look through in any and everything.

Again, our audience is those that are receiving home health care, home care, or under hospice care. So this could be the providers, the patients themselves, or their caregivers. And anybody listening, I want to reassure everyone that there’s a seat for you at the table. I want to have that conversation about accessibility.

26:58 Jorge
Yeah, absolutely. Diversity is, I believe, really one of our greatest strengths in our state.

We at MDEM are committed 100% to making sure that our communications and alert systems reflect and respect that diversity.

I always think of this image—it’s a cartoon, and you may have seen it. It’s the doorsteps of a school that has several steps leading up to the main door, and it’s after a snowstorm. And there’s a person frantically trying to shovel the snow off the steps and forgetting about the ramp.

28:02
I think the lesson there is if you clear the ramp first, everybody’s going to be able to go in—including those who have wheelchairs or other needs and cannot go up the stairs.

I always think about that when we design our communications and our systems infrastructure as well.

One important thing is language. You have many people in your population who may have immigrated to the United States, whose first language is not English, or may have not mastered English and prefer another language.

So we’re addressing that with the 185 different language choices that we have.

28:45
When we do alerts, too, we keep it to 65 characters per text, so they’re easily digestible, and we aim for a fifth-grade level of English.

We want to get to the point and make sure the words we’re using can be understood by mostly everybody.

For older adults and those with specific needs, we also work with partners to ensure our alerts are compatible with the latest assistive technologies, like screen readers.

Also, we prepare our materials with our partners in alternative formats, such as Braille and large print. Now, that doesn’t specifically relate to immediate digital alerts.

Our motto is “we’re with you before, during, and after a crisis.”

29:35
This is more of the “during and after,” where some people may have to be evacuated to another location.

When they get there, there are going to be translators, assistive technology, and signs in large print or Braille so that people can understand them. Our commitment to that is our guiding principle for our communications.

So whether it’s severe weather, local emergencies, or other critical updates, we really strive to make sure we’re clearing that ramp without the snow so that everybody can go up—not just certain individuals.

30:10  Kendal
Kenyn, is there anything you would like to add or expand on with that?

30:16 Kenyn
I think Jorge touched on it—our ability to be accessible. Again, as I’ve shared, accessibility really went into this new iteration of MdReady, making sure this time we touched everybody.

30:29 Kendal
Thank you both, Jorge and Kenyn, for speaking to how the MdReady alert system is designed with accessibility in mind.

One aspect of accessibility that we haven’t touched on yet is cost, which can often be a significant barrier. So, I want to clarify for our listeners here today: subscribing to the MD Ready alert system does not come at any cost for those who want to sign up, correct?

30:50 Kenyn
That’s right.

30:52 Jorge
Correct.

30:57 Kendal
Thank you, Kenyn and Jorge, for confirming that.

As I shared at the beginning, access to emergency preparedness information shouldn’t be a luxury.

It’s just so encouraging to know that networks like us at the EPN, but MDEM, and 211 Maryland are all working together here to bridge gaps and break barriers in emergency preparedness communication in our unique ways.

We have covered so much today.

Take Action

So, to recap for our listeners, we’ve discussed the connection between our federal and state emergency alert systems, the partnership between MDEM and 211 Maryland that led to the creation of MdReady alerts, and we took a deep dive into the system’s design, purpose, and how to sign up.

As we bring this conversation to a close, is there one takeaway or any key takeaways you want our audience to walk away with today?

“For me, it’s really simple: stay informed,” Kenyn Benjamin said.

30:55
It’s very easy. You don’t have to be in the dark. Stay safe and just sign up.

32:06 Kendal
Keep it simple, right?

Because I think our lives as people are so full, our schedules are so full—we’re always juggling so many responsibilities and so many roles.

You’ve mentioned the word “simple” throughout our conversation many times.

When I hear that—like a sense of relief that it feels doable, and it’s something I can do today that looks out for future me and those that I love.

Thank you.

32:37 Jorge
And for me, it would be: take action today.

Don’t wait. While you’re listening to this, you can take action and do one thing to get yourself closer to preparedness.

Whether it’s registering for these alerts, having multiple ways to receive emergency alerts, or starting your preparedness plan—your emergency preparedness plan that every family should have—take one action today.

And that is a huge success.

I think one of the simplest ones is to sign up for MdReady, to be opted in to receive these alerts and information, which will definitely make you more aware of what could potentially be coming—and it could also potentially save your life.

33:21 Kendal
Thank you. What you just shared connects with what you first shared at the beginning of this conversation, which is that we’re practicing preparedness every day.

And it’s something that we innately know how to do as human beings.

When we think about preparedness in terms of emergency preparedness specifically, that concept can seem very large, very daunting. It can leave us feeling like we don’t know where to start. But we can tap into that skill that we already have.

That’s something you shared in the beginning, but at the end of the conversation, you’ve brought it home—that we can take a single step.

So not only do we know how to prepare and practice this daily, but we can take a single step today.

And is that one step possible? Yes, it is. We always have to start with the first step before we can take the staircase.

As you mentioned, the stairs in the imagery that you provided—thank you.

34:25
Both of you, Kenyn, you mentioned simplicity. And, Jorge taking a single step. That is a simple thing for all of us to do. So, I appreciate that. Speaking of simple single next steps, beyond everything we’ve shared on this episode, if someone is interested in learning more about MD Ready, 211 Maryland, and these specific alerts, could you share with us—Jorge, I’m going to specifically ask you first—if someone’s interested in learning about MDEM, where can they go to learn more about the network that you represent?

35:12
Yes, absolutely. They can go to mdmem.maryland.gov.

That’s our website. On our homepage, you’ll find buttons that will take you to all the possibilities of emergency preparedness—from building an emergency kit to signing up for alerts. You’ll be able to find a way to do it easily from our homepage.

35:53 Kendal
Perfect. I appreciate it.

And then, Kenyn, could you share with our listeners here, for those interested in learning about 211 Maryland, where can they go to receive this information?

35:42 Kenyn
Yes, just go to 211md.org, and you’ll be able to see all the information and resources that are available.

If you go specifically up to the programs menu, under programs, you’ll see MD Ready.

It’s a full page of information about what the program is, how to sign up for alerts, and the opportunity to use the web form to sign up.

36:15 Kendal
Okay, so what it sounds like is, to confirm, for those interested in learning about MDEM, there’s a website they can go to specifically for all things emergency preparedness for the state.

If you’re interested in learning about 211 Maryland, they have a website and specifically have a section for MdReady alerts.

Is that the best place to sign up for MdReady alerts, or is there also an option made available on MDEM’s website as well, just given the partnership?

They, being the listener—go to either website to sign up if they do this online and not via text?

35:04 Kenyn
That is correct.

35:10 Kendal
Everyone’s nodding—you can’t see them, but you can hear that everyone is nodding here.

So, yes, two options via the websites. And the last option is the text option. But there are many options for those interested in learning more.

37:10 Kenyn
Just to clarify, you don’t have to opt into both—you don’t have to go to both websites. It’s just two different websites, but it’s all one system.

You can go to either or.

37:20 Kendal
That’s very helpful. Thank you. That adds to the simplicity. Although the information is in two places, it’s connected because of the partnership. Thank you for keeping this simple and doable.

I think that brings us to a close for the conversation.

Thank you so much, Kenyn, and thank you so much, Jorge, for joining me today and sharing invaluable insights and your expertise with our listeners.

I’m incredibly grateful to be on the receiving end as the host, but I’m also in the position of an audience member as well. I get to learn alongside our listeners. So thank you again to both of you—it’s been such a joy.

And to our listeners, your presence not only makes our work possible but truly impactful.

We invite you to subscribe to “Preparedness in Your Pocket.”

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with others to help spread awareness in your community.

38:17
Is there anything else that you would like to leave our listeners with, Kenyn and Jorge, before we sign off?

38:20 Jorge
I’d like to just give a challenge: not only sign up for the alerts, but talk to your friends about it.

Talk to your neighbor who, you know, has someone in elder care or a retirement home.

Talk to your neighbors about it. Let them know.

Show them that you’re the coolest because you signed up!

Kendal
You’re in the know.

38:41 Jorge
Exactly. So, not only do it for yourself but spread the word because it does make a difference.

38:46 Kendal
I appreciate the invitation to spread the word, which again brings this whole conversation full circle.

At the beginning, I said that we really believe that sharing is caring. So share this information that we’ve shared here collectively with those that you love.

Thank you again to both of you and to all of our listeners for listening with us here until the end.

Until next time, thank you for joining us for this episode of “Preparedness in Your Pocket.”

We appreciate being guests on this podcast, and connecting Maryland to MdReady.

Sign up or update your alerts based on language and preferred location(s).

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This podcast was brought to you by the Maryland Emergency Preparedness Network, formed in partnership with the Maryland-National Capital Home Care Association and the Office of Preparedness and Response within the Maryland State Health Department.