The city of Pharr is the only city in the Rio Grande Valley with the capability to send an emergency alert to the public, according to Pharr’s emergency management director.

The public saw the system in action Tuesday when the city sent out an alert over the expressway closure caused by a gas leak.

Pharr Emergency Management Director Daniel Ramirez said with help from FEMA, the city was able to get an integrated public alert and warning system five years ago.

After the gas line was hit, the emergency management team had to follow several steps before sending out the alert message. Steps include checking in with the county emergency management team, and alerting the county judge and Texas Division of Emergency Management.

“It goes through the phone carriers and will notify everybody that lives in the county area,” Ramirez said. “And then we set up a timeline for the next four hours. For example, if somebody drives into the county, they'll get that alert within four hours.”

The last time the city of Pharr sent out an alert was in 2020 to warn people about the spread of COVID-19.

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