As Severe Weather Preparedness Week begins, officials in Peoria County and the City of Peoria are encouraging residents to register for the Regroup Emergency Notification System. This platform allows users to receive emergency alerts through phone calls, text messages, and emails during critical situations.
Jason Marks, Peoria County Director of Emergency Management and Preparedness, emphasized the importance of staying informed: “One of the key aspects of Severe Weather Preparedness Week is ensuring you can receive information during a major weather event. Signing up for Regroup is a great way to quickly receive accurate updates directly from the City and County during an emergency.”
The system sends alerts across all areas of Peoria County in partnership with the City of Peoria via their joint Emergency Communications Center (911). Residents will see text message notifications identified as “Peoria 9-1-1” regardless of their location within the county.
Brandon Blayney, Director of the City’s Emergency Communications Center, highlighted the value of this service: “Regroup is an important tool in our kit to help us keep residents safe and informed when evacuations, public safety incidents, natural disasters, and other events occur.”
Residents can sign up for Regroup on either the Peoria County or City of Peoria websites. The contact details provided by users remain private and are only used for emergency purposes. Those needing assistance with registration can contact Jason Marks by email or at (309) 712-5980.
Severe Weather Preparedness Week runs from Monday, March 2 through Friday, March 6, 2026.
In related community statistics, Peoria County’s schools had an average student-to-teacher ratio of 15-to-1 in the 2022-23 academic year. There were 27,081 students enrolled with 1,844 full-time faculty members across local schools (https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Home.aspx). Teacher absenteeism was recorded at 32.3% during that period—lower than Illinois’ state average—and among individual schools: Dunlap High School had the highest number of white students enrolled at 873; Richwoods High School led in multiracial enrollment with 182 students; Lincoln School had the most Hispanic students at 218; and Peoria High School had the largest Black student enrollment at 798 (https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Home.aspx).
