COUNCIL'S idea to start SMS emergency messaging for residents during dangerous weather has been reduced to an email service.
Redland City Council mayor and Local Disaster Management Group chairwoman Karen Williams launched the service in January.
At the time, council described it as an emergency notification text messaging service that would provide subscribers with emergency news, weather warning updates and notification of road flooding.
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Nine months on and the service offers only email alerts for weather warnings despite offering SMS for other emergency news including issues impacting public health and safety, such as smoke impacting an area or loss of water supply.
Capalaba MP Don Brown said residents were disappointed the weather alerts were not available via SMS as the area had been hit with some damaging storms recently.
Council did not confirm whether the emergency SMS weather alerts were activated in January.
A council spokesperson said weather alerts were generated by the Bureau of Meteorology and were distributed via email.
Council's opt-in service picked up the email alert message and automatically forwarded it to all subscribers.
The spokesperson said the bureau did not provide alerts via SMS.
Residents were again urged to opt into the emails ahead of predictions for a wetter-than-average summer.
About 1700 people have subscribed to the service since its launch.
Residents who register receive an alert when there is potentially dangerous weather which may impact them.
Residents can also sign up to flooded road SMS notifications for Allan Day Drive, Wellington Point; Avalon Road, Sheldon; Moores Road, Redland Bay; and the intersection of Nelson Road and Pitt Road, Wellington Point.
Cr Williams said Redlands was subject to severe weather and climate events, and it was important the community could receive alerts in time so they could prepare.
"This is essential as we head into summer, with the Weather Bureau predicting above average rainfall from November 2020 through to January 2021 associated with a La Nina weather pattern.
"This means there is also the increased possibility for widespread flooding," she said.
Logan City Council has an early warning system that sends SMS alerts for potentially dangerous weather, bushfires and floods within the area.
Residents can also download the Logan Early Warning app which features services including access to weather radar information based on their location, emergency services numbers and alerts specific to their residential address.
Redland City Council confirmed it had no plans to change the way it provided alerts through the emergency messaging service.
To sign up, click the opt-in notifications button on Redland City's disaster dashboard at disaster.redland.qld.gov.au
