First-ever regional test of AlertOC to call over 600,000 O.C. residents

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 18, 2010
Contact: Brooke De Baca, (714) 834-6203, Brooke.DeBaca@ocgov.com

First-Ever Regional Test of AlertOC to Call Over 600,000 OC Residents

(Santa Ana, CA) – More than 600,000 Orange County residents will receive a call on 10/21 at 10:21 a.m. to test the County’s regional mass notification system known as AlertOC. This is the first-ever regional test of the system since its launch in 2008 and will include 20 participating cities and the County’s unincorporated areas.

The test calls will attempt to reach residents in conjunction with the time of the Great California ShakeOut, the largest earthquake drill in U.S. history. To date, AlertOC has been used within local jurisdictions for both system tests and actual notifications. The exercise on Oct. 21 is designed to replicate a large scale, multi-jurisdictional emergency requiring thousands of numbers to be called simultaneously across Orange County’s entire region.

The phone message will urge all residents to prepare for real-life emergencies by registering their cell numbers, text numbers and e-mail addresses at www.AlertOC.com for the best chance to receive vital, timely information when away from home.

Residents in the following cities will receive an AlertOC call on Oct. 21: Aliso Viejo, Buena Park, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Habra, La Palma, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, Placentia, Rancho Santa Margarita, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster, Yorba Linda and unincorporated areas.

In addition, San Juan Capistrano will use AlertOC on Oct. 18 to reach residents as part of the annual community siren test. Residents in Dana Point and unincorporated Orange County south of Ortega Hwy will receive the annual community siren test message on Oct. 19.

AlertOC is used by 32 Orange County cities. Any city not participating in this regional test may have recently performed a system test call.

Emergencies can happen at any time. A wildfire could spread or a flood could close the roads to a neighborhood while residents are away from home. In these instances, AlertOC is a critical link for residents to immediately learn of any required actions.

For more information or to register alternate phone numbers, visit www.AlertOC.com.

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