More than 600,000 Orange County residents – including those in Mission Viejo – will receive a call on Oct. 21 at 10:21 a.m. to test the county’s regional mass notification system known as AlertOC. This is the first-ever regional test of the system since its launch in 2008 and will include 20 participating cities and the county’s unincorporated areas. Mission Viejo was one of the first cities in Orange County to implement AlertOC and conducted its first test call in November of 2008.
The test calls will attempt to reach residents in conjunction with the time of the Great California ShakeOut, the largest earthquake drill in U.S. history. To date, AlertOC has been used within local jurisdictions for both system tests and actual notifications. The exercise on Oct. 21 is designed to 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 urge all residents to prepare for real-life emergencies by registering their cell numbers, text numbers and e-mail addresses at www.AlertOC.com for the best chance to receive vital, timely information when away from home.
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.
To register for Mission Viejo Alerts visit https://portal.blackboardconnectcty.com/578976
