Orange County Sheriff's Department to Test AlertOC

The City of Garden Grove will participate in the Orange County Sheriff's Department 15th annual regional test of its emergency mass notification system, AlertOC, on September 17 at 10:00 am. The test will send a test emergency alert to residents' mobile devices and home phones, and replicates a large-scale, multi-jurisdictional emergency that requires thousands of calls to be made simultaneously across Orange County.

Disasters, such as the state's historic wildfires or earthquakes, often occur rapidly, forcing evacuations and road closures to neighborhoods. AlertOC is a critical link for residents to receive immediate information about any required actions, such as evacuating their homes.

Residents are encouraged to sign up at AlertOC.gov and also visit ReadyOC.org for emergency preparedness resources, including templates for family plans, checklists to build emergency kits, and more. Registration of cell phones and alternative 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.