Natural disasters have affected nearly 90 percent of U.S. counties since 2013, and while many households know about preparing emergency kits, a recent FEMA survey found a large drop in how many people are signed up to receive emergency alerts and warnings.
Early warning systems save lives during disasters. To ensure you can receive these warnings via your phone, text, or email, we recommend turning on your phone’s alerts and signing up for your county’s emergency alert system.
QUICK LINKS: Turn on your iPhone’s Wireless Emergency Alerts | Turn on your Android’s Wireless Emergency Alerts | Sign up for your county’s alerts
Turn on your phone’s emergency alerts
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are one way authorities spread information to the community during an emergency. Most mobile phones are WEA-capable devices, and alerts are typically enabled by default. But if you’ve ever received an alert or test alert, there’s a chance you may have disabled them after hearing their signature alarm: an insistent and loud blare, accompanied by vibrations, that goes off on every phone in your vicinity. You can turn off some of the alerts you don’t want, while receiving the ones you do, so it’s worth checking your phone’s settings.
WEAs use cell towers to send notifications to all WEA-capable mobile phones within a specified target area, meaning you receive alerts for your current location, not your home address. WEAs may also occasionally reach some community members outside the target area, depending on the phones’ technology.
Here’s how to make sure your phone can receive WEAs.
On iPhones
- Navigate to iPhone Settings.
- Select Notifications.
- Scroll to the bottom of the Notifications section to GOVERNMENT ALERTS.
- Next to Public Safety Alerts, toggle the button on (it turns green). These alerts convey “recommendations for saving lives and property.”
- Select Emergency Alerts.
- On the following screen, ensure that Emergency Alerts are toggled on.
- The Local Awareness option improves the timeliness and accuracy of emergency alerts in the United States, according to Apple. Toggle to enable or disable.
Follow the steps above to turn on your iPhone’s Wireless Emergency Alerts.
Here’s Apple’s page on how to turn on emergency alerts.
On Androids
- Navigate to Android Settings.
- Scroll down and select Safety & emergency.
- Select Wireless emergency alerts at the bottom of the screen.
- On the following screen, ensure that Allow alerts is toggled on.
- Toggle Extreme threats and Severe threats to enable or disable alerts for threats to life and property.
- Toggle Public safety messages to enable or disable alerts with recommended actions to save lives or property.
Follow the steps above to turn on your Android’s Wireless Emergency Alerts.
You can also visit this “Android Help” page and select the blue “Control emergency broadcast notifications” option for instructions on how to manage WEA alert settings on Android.
Local text or email alerts
Authorities may not always use WEAs to circulate information, so it’s also important to enroll in your local government’s emergency alert system. During the deadly 2018 Camp Fire in California, authorities issued evacuation orders through Butte County’s emergency alerts, door-knocking, vehicle-mounted speakers, and social media posts — but did not send any WEAs. At the time, fewer than 40 percent of residents in Paradise, one of the towns destroyed in the fire, had signed up for the county’s alerts, according to a 2023 report.
According to Riverside County’s alerts and warnings page, “Wireless Emergency Alerts are important, but some of the most locally-specific and timely information can come from opt-in mass notification services like RiversideAlert.” Although some of these systems automatically enroll landline numbers, Californians must opt in to receive notifications on their mobile devices or via email.
There is no standardized emergency alert system across the United States; the enrollment process and your notification system’s features differ based on where you live. Different governments’ mass notification systems may include different types of alerts. Some only notify you in extreme situations, such as disaster evacuations, while others may also send alerts for missing persons or police activity. Note what kind of alerts your local system offers before signing up, and keep in mind you can often choose what type of alerts you’d like to receive.
Users will typically be asked to provide their mobile number, email, and street address. Many emergency alert systems have the option to register multiple street addresses, allowing you to keep tabs on other significant locations like your workplace or kids’ schools. Some also allow you to customize whether you’d like to receive alerts via phone call, text message, or email, and offer language and accessibility options. If customization options are not offered during initial enrollment, you may be able to log in after enrolling to change your settings and add additional information.
Emergency alert systems are often run through third-parties. Common ones include OnSolve CodeRED, Everbridge, Rave Mobile Safety’s Smart 911, and Genasys. If your local government uses a third-party system, you will generally be directed to that company’s website to enroll. Once you receive an emergency alert (or a signup confirmation), we recommend that you save the number to your Contacts and exclude it from being blocked when using your cell phone’s Do Not Disturb features.
Even if you’ve signed up for alerts previously, it’s worth checking to make sure you’re still registered with your county. Some governments may have transitioned to new systems and might not have migrated residents’ information.
How to sign up for your county’s alerts
Follow our instructions below to sign up for the most up-to-date alerts as of August 2024.
The list only includes information for California counties’ primary emergency alert systems. Some local governments may offer additional alerts through systems like Nixle or Notify Me, but no county in California uses either of these as their primary emergency alert system. If you are only registered with Nixle or Notify Me, you may miss crucial emergency alerts.
Find your county
Del Norte County: Click the “SIGN UP NOW!” link in the Del Norte Community Alert System Section to get to the Everbridge registration portal. Create an account, then follow instructions to register.
Humboldt County: Scroll down to read Humboldt Alert Sign Up Instructions or click on the “SIGN UP FOR NOTIFICATIONS” button to proceed to the Everbridge registration portal. Click on the red “SIGN UP HERE” link to create a new account. You can add up to five addresses, include pertinent information about family members’ needs, and choose how you would like alerts delivered. If you previously registered with VESTA Alert, you need to register for the current system, Humboldt ALERT, to continue to receive notifications.
Mendocino County: In the “How to Sign Up” section, follow the green “Visit the Everbridge Registration page to Sign up for the MendoAlert, the Mendocino County Emergency Notification and Alert System” link to get to an Everbridge registration portal. Follow instructions to create an account. In your account, you will be able to register multiple addresses and have the option to add information about your family’s access or functional needs.
Siskiyou County: Click the “ReadySiskiyou-Alerts (Smart911)” link to get to the Smart911 registration portal. Click the green “SIGN UP NOW” button. Follow instructions to register.
Trinity County: Click the blue CodeRED link next to “CodeRED Signup” and select“OK” to proceed to the CodeRED registration portal. Creating a managed account allows you to change notification settings in the future and add additional addresses. You can also create a guest account. In addition to emergency notifications, you can choose to receive “General Notifications” and severe weather alerts.
One note: Listos California, part of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, provides a look-up tool to find alerts in California. Daniel Gutiérrez, Project Manager at Listos California, said that the office relies on counties to reach out when they change alert systems. This may occasionally lead to the tool providing outdated information.
Signing up for emergency alerts is a crucial first step in preparing for a natural disaster, but it’s not the last. Alerts delivered via phone or email rely on some combination of phone service, internet, and power, all of which could go down during a natural disaster. Government agencies, however, have also used non-electronic emergency alerts for a long time, including door-to-door knocking or vehicle-mounted speakers. But you may find yourself in a position where you need to evacuate an area before an official order has even been issued. So don’t forget to develop a comprehensive disaster plan and review it with your household.
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