Rural Oregonians are signing up for emergency alerts at far higher rates than people in the state's urban areas, a new study found. A 2026 study of Oregon's OR-Alert system found rural counties consistently had higher enrollment rates than urban counties. He said emergency alerts may help fill an information gap in rural communities, where residents often have fewer ways to learn about developing emergencies. He said rural residents in Southern Oregon often have fewer ways to receive timely information during natural disasters, making alerts sent directly to a cell phone especially valuable. Brudzinski said more research is needed to determine why rural counties have higher enrollment rates.