Did you know you can text 911 for emergency assistance?

Winneshiek County is one of 94 Iowa counties with updated call centers capable of receiving 911 text messages as a part of Next Generation 911 (NG911).

The updated emergency system allows people to access emergency care via voice, text, video and picture messaging. Winneshiek County GIS Coordinator Jon Lubke says NG911 uses GIS data which improves location accuracy and emergency response time.

The five Iowa counties where call centers are still not Text-to-911 capable are: Henry, Lee, Monona, Pottawattamie, and Scott.