ePrivacy and GPDR Cookie Consent by TermsFeed Generator

NotifyLA

  • 10
  • 5  min to read
NotifyLA

Los Angeles, USA

About the city.

Southern California has about 10,000 earthquakes every year, though most are so small that they are never felt. Moreover, fire kills more Americans each year than all other natural disasters combined.

Goal

The main goal is to send voice messages, text messages and email messages to residents and businesses during times of emergencies and disasters. Notifying the public when a disaster strikes might be the one and only safeguard the public can count on to save their lives and protect their property.

Implementation period. The project started in 2019.

Fact

Landslides occur in all 50 states of the U.S., though the most common areas are those with mountainous terrain, such as California.

Solutions

NotifyLA, the special system, allows users to receive urgent notifications about local emergencies by phone, email, and/or text message. Because NotifyLA uses the 911 database, only land-line numbers are automatically included in the system.

How does NotifyLA work? It’s a free, automated system used to send out alerts to the public about emergency and critical incidents. NotifyLA can reach the public via recorded telephone messages, text messages and emails.

Why are these messages important? This information will keep the public informed when a disaster occurs and provide preemptive warnings in some cases.

Who will receive the communication? Landline phone numbers are automatically included in the system from information contained in the 9-1-1 database. Residents can opt into receiving text messages, calls to cell phones and emails by signing up for NotifyLA. Registration is FREE.

What kinds of messages will the public receive through NotifyLA?

  • Early warning notices
  • Disaster notifications
  • Evacuation notices
  • Public health notices
  • Public safety notices of imminent or perceived threats to life or property

Challenges

Problem. Personal information safety. Is it safe?

Solution. The information a user enters into NotifyLA is secure. The City of Los Angeles does not share or distribute any personal information, and it is solely used for providing emergency notifications only.

Problem. If the email or phone number changes.

Solution. The system is only as good as the information a user provides. If their contact information changes, a user can always visit a profile and update information.

Team

Emergency Management Department, the City of Los Angeles.

If you notice an error or inaccuracy in our editorials, please email [email protected] so we can look into it.