California emergency alerts warn you about fires and extreme weather. How to sign up in your county

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Natural disasters have affected nearly 90% 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.

Alerts about California wildfires are sent using local government systems and your phone’s alerting system, and to receive the quickest, most comprehensive earthquake alerts, also download the MyShake app on your phone.

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.

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% 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.

For local alerts in 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.

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.