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What is AlertSF?
AlertSF is a software application used to send emergency
alerts, notifications and updates to your cell phone, pager, BlackBerry,
PDA and/or e-mail account. In the event of an emergency, the City and County of San Francisco will
be able to send important alerts and updates right to your cell
phone or mobile device. All you have to do is sign up for an AlertSF
account.
Click to register now!
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What is an AlertSF Account?
Each person may sign up for his or her own AlertSF account. You can add
multiple devices (cell phones, pagers, PDAs) to an AlertSF
account. Alerts can be sent to all devices listed in your AlertSF
account.
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How does AlertSF work?
In an emergency situation, we may send you an alert through AlertSF;
you will receive a text message on your email account, cell phone,
and any other mobile device you've registered. Read these messages
promptly and follow the instructions.
Additional instructions may follow throughout the
emergency situation so keep your phone near you. Even
if the cell phones are busy, the messages should still
come through to your phone.
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Who sends out alerts?
The City and County of San Francisco sends out alerts. These alerts
may go out to all registrants or selected groups of individuals, depending
on the type of alert.
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What types of alerts will be sent?
All AlertSF users may receive:
- Watches and warnings for tsunamis, flooding and tornados
- Citywide post-disaster messages (i.e., boil water orders)
- Severe transit disruption alerts (i.e., a shutdown of BART or the Bay Bridge)
- Monthly test alerts
Users may also "opt in" to receive alerts for zip codes of their choosing. Targeted zip code alerts will include:
- Utility disruptions
- Local transit disruptions
- Evacuation and shelter-in-place alerts
- Post-disaster messages (i.e., disaster shelters opening in the zip code)
Additionally, users can sign up to receive information feeds:
- California Amber Alerts
- California 5.0+ magnitude Earthquake Alerts
- 24/7 Weather alerts
- Weather Alerts between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. only
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Will my cell phone work?
AlertSF uses the text messaging (SMS
network) feature of your cell phone to deliver alerts.
The alerts come across like a page on a pager. ALL
cell phone carriers, and paging companies, offer text
messaging. Nearly all phones purchased within the past
few years are text messaging capable. If you are unsure,
contact your carrier to ask about your phone and text
messaging.
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What is text messaging and
how do I sign up for it?
Text messages are short messages sent to your phone,
similar to receiving a page. Each message contains
between 100 and 160 characters, or about 10 words,
depending upon your carrier. An example of a text message
is the notification you receive on your phone when
you have new voicemail.
Many carriers activate the service automatically.
You should check with your carrier to make sure your
text messaging is active. See the carrier matrix for
a list of carriers and contact information.
Good links to learn how to read text messages on
your phone include:
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How many devices/e-mail addresses
can I add to my account?
You may have two devices and two e-mail addresses for
your AlertSF account.
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How do I prevent SPAM filters from blocking my alerts?
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) utilize various methods to prevent
unsolicited commercial e-mail (Junk mail or spam) from being delivered
to users' mailboxes. Some of these methods may mistakenly classify
AlertSF alerts as such and not deliver the alert to the recipient.
Each ISP has different set of steps to follow to assure these alerts
get delivered directly to the users' mailboxes. Typically the
sender's domain name must be added to an address book or 'safe list'.
To assure you receive AlertSF alert e-mail please add alertsf.org
to your address book or safe list. If you still have trouble, please
contact AlertSF tech support via email at contactus.oes@sfgov.org.
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In what languages is the AlertSF program
available?
AlertSF messages can currently be sent out in English and
Spanish. Most text-capable devices in the U.S. can only receive
messages in languages that utilize the Roman alphabet. As wireless
device technology develops, we will explore the options of sending
out messages in additional languages.
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