In summary
Early warning systems save lives during disasters, but a recent FEMA survey found that only a third of people are signed up. Use this resource to find your county’s emergency alert sign-up page.
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.
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.
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
Alameda County: In the black “AC ALERT” box, click on the yellow “Subscribe” button to get to an Everbridge registration portal. Follow instructions to enroll.
Alpine County: In the “SIGN UP FOR REVERSE 911” section, follow the blue Douglas County link, then click “Proceed to Site.” Check the box next to “Yes, I agree” to agree to the terms, then click “Continue” to proceed to the Douglas County, Nev. registration portal. Enter your information to enroll. Alpine County Public Information Officer JT Chevallier confirmed to CalMatters that the county uses the Douglas County system to send emergency alerts.
Amador County: Click on the blue “Amador County Emergency Alerts” link toward the bottom of the page to get to theSmart911 registration portal. Click on the green “SIGN UP NOW” button to create an account. If you previously registered with the CodeRED system, Amador County encourages you to register with the current system, Amador County Emergency Alerts, to continue receiving emergency notifications.
Butte County: Click on the green “Sign up for BCSO CodeRED Notifications” link and select the “Proceed to Site” button to get 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.
Calaveras County: Click on the “SIGN UP FOR CALAVERAS ALERT” image to get to the Everbridge registration portal. Click the blue “SIGN UP HERE” link to create a new account. You can choose to receive severe weather alerts and customize the alert delivery method.
Colusa County: Under the “Our Emergency Alerts” section, click the green “Sign up for Emergency alerts from RAVE Mobile” link to get to the Rave registration portal. Click on the green “REGISTER” button in the upper right-hand corner. Follow the instructions to register.
Contra Costa County: Click on the “Community Warning System” link. In the black box with a yellow alert icon, click “Register to Receive Emergency Alerts” to get to the emergency alert system site. Click “Acknowledge” to proceed, then enter your information to register.
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.
El Dorado County: Click the blue “Alert Notification System ‘RAVE’” link to get to the sign-up instructions page. Update your Contacts with the emergency alerts phone number listed under the “Save El Dorado County Emergency Alerts in your Contacts” section. Under “New Users,” select the “CLICK HERE” link to proceed to a Smart911 registration portal. Follow the instructions to register.
Fresno County: Scroll down to the black “Register to receive Emergency Alerts” button, located in a red box. Click the button to proceed to the Everbridge registration portal. Create an account, then follow instructions to enroll.
Glenn County: Scroll down to the blue “Sign up for CodeRed Emergency Alerts” link. Click the link, then click “OK” to proceed to the CodeRED registration portal. Creating a managed account which 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. Alerts can be received in English or Spanish.
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.
Imperial County: Check the box next to “Yes, I agree” to agree to the terms, then click “Continue” to proceed to the registration page. Follow instructions to enroll. As of publication, the Imperial County Public Health Department’s Reverse 911 website has a registration link that does not work. Imperial County Public Information Officer Eddie Lopez provided the alternative registration link and said the county is working on making updates to the outdated county page.
Inyo County: At the bottom of the page, click on the blue link following “Sign up for CodeRED automatic alerts here” to get to a 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.”
Kern County: Scroll to the bottom of the page, in the blue “Sign Up for Emergency Alerts” section, click the “CLICK HERE TO REGISTER” button to get to the Everbridge registration portal; follow instructions to enroll.
Kings County: Click the “SIGN UP HERE” link, located in the red button. This will redirect you to a Smart911 registration portal. Click the green “SIGN UP NOW” button to create a new account. Follow instructions to enroll. As of publication, King County’s Office of Emergency Management website contains a registration link that does not work.
Lake County: Click the green “Register for LakeCoAlerts” link, then select the “Proceed to Site” button to get to the Everbridge registration portal. Select the “Sign Up” option in the upper right-hand corner to create an account. In your account, you can register up to five addresses and choose how you want notifications delivered to you. The LakeCoAlerts page lists the numbers used by LakeCoAlerts, which you should save to your Contacts.
Lassen County: Under “Click Below to register to receive alerts,” click the “BE PREPARED Before an Emergency Strikes” banner to get to a Genasys registration portal; follow instructions to enroll. In your account portal, click the bell icon in the menu on the left to control which types of notifications you receive.
Los Angeles County: Click the green “REGISTER FOR ALERT LA COUNTY” button to get to a 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.
Madera County: Follow the blue “www.mcalert.org” link to get to an Everbridge registration portal. Click the “Sign Up” option to create a new account. Follow instructions to enroll. You can choose to receive “Weather Notifications” and “Non-Emergency Notifications” in addition to emergency alerts.
Marin County: Click the blue “Sign-up for AlertMarin” link to get to an Everbridge registration portal. Follow instructions to enroll.
Mariposa County: In the beige menu (on the left side of the page on desktop, and closer to the bottom third of the page on mobile), select “Emergency Alerts Sign-up” to get to an Everbridge registration portal. Click the blue “SIGN UP HERE” link or select the “Sign Up” option in the upper right-hand menu.
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.
Merced County: Click on the red “Register for the Merced County Emergency Notification System” button to get to an Everbridge registration portal. Click the red “SIGN UP HERE” link to create a new account. Follow instructions to register.
Modoc County: In the menu (on the left side of the page on desktop, and near the bottom of the page on mobile), select “Genasys Emergency Notification” to get to a Genasys login page. Select the green “Click here to register” link located beneath the “Log In” button. Follow instructions to enroll.
Mono County: Click on the white “Sign Up for Emergency Alerts” link to get to a Genasys registration portal. Follow instructions to enroll.
Monterey County: Click the green “Sign Up for Alerts” button to get to a Genasys registration portal. Take note of the phone numbers and emails the emergency alert notifications will be coming from and save them to your Contacts. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select “Click here to register” to create a new account. Follow instructions to enroll.
Napa County: Click the blue “Sign Up” button to get to an Everbridge registration portal. Follow instructions to enroll. You can choose to receive notifications from various agencies.
Nevada County: The page lists emergency alert numbers to save to your Contacts. Click the red “Register CodeRed” button on the right-hand side of the page to get to a 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.
Orange County: In the “Register Alternate Phone Numbers with AlertOC” section, follow the blue “AlertOC” link to get to an Everbridge registration portal. Select the “Sign Up” option from the menu in the top right-hand corner of the page to create a new account. Follow instructions to enroll.
Placer County: On the “Placer Alert” page, click the “Citizen Alert Notification Sign Up” button or follow the green “Placer Alert system” link. Either of these will redirect you to the Everbridge registration portal. Select the “Sign Up” option from the menu to create a new account. Follow instructions to enroll.
Plumas County: Scroll down to the red “Rapid Emergency Notification System – Register Now” link. Follow this link to the Genasys registration portal, or continue scrolling down for detailed registration steps. On the Genasys registration portal, select the “Click here to register” link below the “LOG IN” button to create a new account. Follow instructions to enroll.
Riverside County: Scroll down to the Alert RivCo registration form. Enter your information here to enroll. After enrolling, log in to your account to register your address with the system. You can choose to receive general notifications in addition to emergency notifications.
Sacramento County: Click on the blue “Sign up now on the Emergency Alerts website” link to proceed to the Smart911 registration portal. Select the green “SIGN UP NOW” button to enroll. In your account, you can add additional addresses and include medical, access, and functional needs of your family. You may also choose which types of alerts you’d like to receive and customize the delivery method.
San Benito County: Scroll down to the “Register with Genasys to Stay Informed!” section. Click on the orange link next to the SBC alert icon to proceed to the Genasys registration portal. This page lists the emergency alert numbers to save to your Contacts. Select the “Click here to register” link at the bottom of the page beneath the “LOG IN” button to create a new account. Follow instructions to enroll.
San Bernardino County: In the “TENS” section, click the blue “Register today” link to get to a Smart911 login page. Click the green “SIGN UP NOW” button to create a new account. Follow instructions to enroll.
San Diego County: Scroll down to the orange “AlertSanDiego” box and click the white “Register for emergency alerts” link to get to the Alert San Diego website. Click the green “Register for Emergency Alerts” option in the menu at the top of the page. Enter your information to enroll.
San Francisco County: In the “Sign up for AlertSF” section, click the blue “alertsf.org” link which will redirect you to an Everbridge registration portal. Select the “Sign Up” option in the menu in the top right-hand corner. Follow instructions to enroll.
San Joaquin County: Click the orange “SIGN UP FOR SJREADY” button in the “SJReady – Community Notification System” section to get to theEverbridge registration portal. Click the blue “SIGN UP HERE” link to create an account. Follow instructions to enroll.
San Luis Obispo County: Scroll down to the “Register” button outlined in blue. Click this to proceed to a Smart911 registration portal. Follow instructions to enroll. The county switched to this alert system in October 2023 and recommends you re-register with the new system if you were enrolled with the previous one.
San Mateo County: Scroll down to the blue “Register Now” button near the bottom. Click the button to proceed to the Smart911 registration portal. Follow instructions to enroll. You can opt in to receive precautionary warnings in addition to emergency alerts.
Santa Barbara County: Click the “Sign Up for ReadySBC Alerts” link in the orange box to get to the Everbridge registration portal. Follow instructions to enroll.
Santa Clara County: Scroll down to the “Sign Up Today!” section and click on the blue “Sign Up” button to get to the Everbridge registration portal. Follow instructions to enroll.
Santa Cruz County: Click the blue “Cruz Aware Registration” link to get to the Genasys login page. Save the emergency alerts phone numbers to your Contacts. Select the “Click here to register” link under the “LOG IN” button to create a new account. Follow instructions to register. After registering, click the bell icon in the menu to customize which types of notifications you’d like to receive. Santa Cruz County is no longer using the CodeRED system; you should register with the new system if you had enrolled previously.
Shasta County: In the “Resources” section, follow the blue “Alert Shasta” link to get to the Genasys registration portal. Save the emergency alerts phone numbers to your Contacts. Under the “LOG IN” button, select the “Click here to register” link to create a new account. Follow instructions to register. Shasta County switched to a new emergency alert system on May 1, 2024 and asks that you register with the new system even if you were registered with the previous CodeRED system.
Sierra County: Under the “Stay Informed” section, follow the blue “Everbridge Emergency Alert System” link, then click the “Proceed to Site” button to access the Everbridge registration portal. Select the “Sign Up” option in the top right corner to create a new account. Follow instructions to register.
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.
Solano County: Follow the blue “CLICK HERE TO REGISTER” link in the white box to get to the Everbridge registration page. Follow instructions to enroll.
Sonoma County: Click the blue “Sign up for SoCoAlert Today!” link near the bottom of the page to get 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.
Stanislaus County: Scroll down to the blue “Everbridge Member Portal” link. Click this link and wait until it redirects you to the Everbridge registration portal. Follow instructions to register.
Sutter County: Scroll down to the blue “CODE RED” button at the bottom of the page. Click on this button 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.”
Tehama County: In the yellow “Tehama Alert” box near the bottom of the page, click on the green “Sign up for Tehama Alert” button to get to an Everbridge registration portal. 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.
Tulare County: Click the “Register with AlertTC” image or click the blue “www.AlertTC.com” link to get to the AlertTC website. Next, click the blue “Register Now or Login Here” link to proceed to the Everbridge registration portal. Select the “Sign Up” option from the menu in the upper right-hand corner to create a new account. Follow instructions to enroll.
Tuolumne County: Scroll down until you see the words “CLICK HERE TO REGISTER” in large, green font. Follow the “HERE” link to proceed to the Everbridge registration portal. Select the “Sign Up” option from the menu in the upper right-hand corner. Follow instructions to enroll.
Ventura County: Click the red “REGISTER HERE” button on the right-hand side of the page to get to an Everbridge registration portal. Select the “Sign Up” option from the menu in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Follow instructions to register.
Yolo County: In the “Sign up for Alerts” section, click the blue “Alert Yolo” link to get to the Everbridge registration portal. Select the “Sign Up” option from the menu in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Follow instructions to register.
Yuba County: In the yellow “STAY CONNECTED!” box, click the “Click here to register for CodeRED” button to get to the 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.”
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.