City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County
Community Alert: CITY OF SANTA ANA JOINS 23 CITIES IN COUNTY WIDE ALERT OC REGIONAL TEST
Santa Ana, CA (September 19, 2014) – City of Santa Ana residents and over two million other Orange County residents will receive a call, email or push notification on Tuesday, September 23 for a Countywide regional test of Alert OC – the County’s regional mass notification system. This is the fifth annual regional test of the system and will include 23 participating cities and the County’s unincorporated areas.
The AlertOC drill will be held in conjunction with national Preparedness Month and will 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 notify residents that it is a test and urge all residents to prepare for real-life emergencies by registering their cell numbers, text numbers and e-mail addresses at AlertOC.com for the best chance to receive vital, timely information when away from home.
Available for iPhone and Android smartphones, AlertOC’s apps allow users to receive push notifications, review past messages, update contact information, and set device and language preferences. Smartphone users can find the app by searching “Blackboard MyConnect” in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
As part of the AlertOC drill, the County’s emergency public information hotline will be activated from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. to provide preparedness tips and other emergency related information. Community members are invited to call (714) 628-7085 with questions on how to adequately prepare their home or business for any emergency.
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 and email addresses, visit AlertOC.com. Commuters are reminded to be safe and use hands-free devices when talking on the phone and driving.
###
