Polk County NE Emergency Management

05/17/2026

As we draw closer to the strong potential of severe weather this late afternoon into the evening please remain aware of the weather.

Having at least two ways to receive weather alerts is a great practice for severe weather. Phone apps are great, we recommend you download AlertSense (sign up link in comments) to remain aware of the rapid changes that come with spring/summer severe weather. On Facebook we recommend following our good friends at the US National Weather Service Hastings Nebraska for reliable, accurate, and non AI Generated information or images. (Yes this is becoming an issue on the weather reporting side as well unfortunately)

Stay safe and use common sense Polk County! 😀

These alerts are provided free of charge, however, standard text messaging rates and other charges may apply.  You can also text your zip code to 38276 for text only alerts OR download the myAlerts mobile app.

03/25/2026

Just a reminder that today at approximately 10:00am the outdoor warning systems for Osceola and Stromsburg will be remotely activated to test for a mock tornado warning. They will sound for 60 seconds before being deactivated.

Thank you and have a great day!

Photo taken from NWS Website from June 20, 2011 Tornado Outbreak west of Osceola . See link below for more information on this event!

https://www.weather.gov/gid/multipletornadoesjune202011

03/24/2026

Tomorrow (3/25/2026) the communities of Stromsburg and Osceola will be remotely testing the tornado sirens. The activation will originate from the Joint Communications Center in Columbus between approximately 10:00am-10:10am in conjunction with the US National Weather Service Hastings Nebraska statewide tornado drill. The sirens will sound for 1 minute before they are remotely deactivated.

The communities of Shelby, Osceola, Stromsburg, and Polk will also be setting their sirens off via local activation at time determined by their local Fire Departments.

Thank you for your understanding of our testing of this critical communication channel. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions!

03/19/2025

The Polk County Courthouse will be closed today 3/19/25 due to current and forecasted weather conditions. Please be prepared for the conditions to worsen throughout the day and plan accordingly.

01/04/2025

As the beginning of the snow starts to arrive and increase, please remember to take your time on the roads and check your routes prior to travel. Our good friends over at Nebraska Department of Transportation do a great job of keeping conditions updated within the 511 app and web services.

Link to the 511 Nebraska Travel Conditions Map Below!
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https://511.nebraska.gov/@-101.38885,41.73038,7?show=roadReports,constructionReports,winterDriving,weatherWarningsAreaEvents,weatherRadar

Slow down, Arrive Alive!

12/25/2024

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you! Enjoy time with loved ones as the year comes to close, we look forward to what’s to come!

12/14/2024

Remember as we move into the time of year where the driving conditions can be less than favorable that you plan ahead and take your time when traveling. Arriving late and safe is better than not arriving at all!

11/11/2024

On this Veterans Day, we take a moment to say thank you to all of those brave men and women who have have served our country! Polk County is full of many proud United States Veterans who delivered us the way of life and freedoms we know and love today!

Thank you Veterans, we are forever grateful for you and your families sacrifices!

09/30/2024

UPDATED POST 10:10am 9/30/24

It appears that there may be some issues with Verizon currently for certain users in the Polk County area. E911 services have been confirmed to be up and running as normal. We will be looking into this issue ensuring E911 services for the Polk County service area are not impacted.

E911 service still works for those affected by the outage, it has been tested by Emergency Management and the JCC through a mobile device affected by the outage. PLEASE DO NOT TEST.