The city of Seal Beach will test its emergency mass notification system, AlertOC, on Thursday, Sept. 21, with a test emergency alert that will be sent to residents’ mobile devices and home phones.
The test will replicate a large-scale, multi-jurisdictional emergency requiring thousands of numbers to be called simultaneously across Seal Beach. This is the 13th annual regional test of the system and will include Orange County as well as the county’s unincorporated areas.
“We should all take action to prepare for emergencies and disasters that can affect our communities,” said Sgt. Brian Gray, Emergency Services Coordinator for the city of Seal Beach. “Our goal is to increase the overall number of individuals, families, and communities that engage in preparedness actions at home, work, school, and places of worship.
Disasters, such as the state’s historic wildfires, often occur rapidly, forcing evacuations and road closures to neighborhoods. “We urge residents and businesses to prepare for the many hazards that threaten our daily lives and sense of normalcy – most often occurring in Southern California with little-to-no warning,” said Chief Michael Henderson.
AlertOC is the county’s mass notification system used by the City of Seal Beach and Seal Beach Police Department to issue government related messages to residents and businesses.
All residential and commercial landline phone numbers are a part of the AlertOC system. AlertOC replaced the old “Reverse 911” system. AlertOC is a critical link for residents to immediately learn of any required actions, such as evacuating their homes during an imminent fire. AlertOC also enables the county to inform our residents during ongoing incidents, such as a pandemic or other health emergencies.
The distinctive feature of AlertOC is the ability for individuals to register multiple contact methods and addresses. Registration of cell phones and alternate numbers dramatically increases the ability to reach the greatest number of community members within minutes. This enables landlines, cell phones, and e-mail addresses to be incorporated into a single notification system.
Residents can do their part to prepare for emergencies by registering cell phone numbers, text numbers and e-mail addresses for AlertOC. For more information or to register alternate phone numbers or e-mail addresses, visit AlertOC.org.
To receive real time updates, the SBPD also encourages the public to sign up for Nixle Alerts. You can do this by visiting https://www.nixle.com/ or texting your zip code to 888777.
