Local officials announced a new text alert system specifically for the World Meeting of Families and Pope Francis’ visit.

“If you are planning to attend this historic event, we encourage you to sign up for text alerts for the Pope’s visit to get real time information of importance,” said Samantha Phillips, director of Emergency Management. “Having peace of mind is part of enjoying the event.”

Alerts will be send through Nixle, a public safety alert system, and they will include weather, emergencies, travel or traffic information. This service will only be available for the duration of the World Meeting of Families and Pope Francis’ visit.  

To enroll you need to text “papalvisit” to 888777 and you will be registered.

To sign up for year round alerts you can check out ReadyPhiladelphia, available to those who live and work in the city. The service allows subscribers to sign up for emergency or weather alerts by text, email, and phone or the Everbridge app.

To sign up for ReadyPhiladelphia, go to www.phila.gov/ready and click on “Sign Up For Alerts”.