AlertOC: This Is A Test Seal Beach

SEAL BEACH, CA — This is a test. A test of the AlertOC program.

On Wednesday, Oct. 18, a 1 p.m. test of the AlertOC system was scheduled for all methods of communication. Your county wants to reach you in case of emergency. No matter what form of communication you use, land line, cell phone or text message, Orange County emergency services county wide wants to reach you where you live so that you can be informed.

Cities taking part in the program include:

• Aliso Viejo
• Anaheim
• Brea
• Buena Park
• Costa Mesa
• Dana Point
• Fullerton
• Garden Grove
• La Habra
• La Palma
• Laguna Beach
• Laguna Niguel
• Mission Viejo
• Newport Beach
• San Clemente
• Santa Ana
• Seal Beach
• Stanton
• Tustin
• Westminster
• Yorba Linda
• Unincorporated Orange County Areas

Regarding how AlertOC works, Laguna Beach Police Department Information Officer Jim Cota had this to say:

"This is the system were we communication important emergency information such as evacuation routes or life safety instruction," Cota said. "We encourage everyone to register their cell phone, text numbers, and email addresses at www.alertOC.com so we can reach you no matter if you are home or away."

According to AlertOC.com, the mass notification system is used by the County of Orange and participating cities to issue government related messages to residents and businesses.

"The system has the capacity to send thousands of messages within minutes via phone, e-mail and text. Only authorized officials are allowed access to the system," they said.

In case your phone is busy, the system will continue to notify you until you are reached, according to the website.

If you have additional AlertOC questions, please e-mail alertoc@ocsd.org or call (714)628-7054.