NotifyLA is the City of Los Angeles’ mass notification system used to provide information regarding necessary actions, such as evacuations, to Los Angeles residents, businesses and subscribers via recorded phone messages, text messages or e-mail in case of emergencies or critical situations. Because NotifyLA uses the 911 database, only land-line numbers are automatically included in the system. In order to receive a notification via your cell phone, Voice over IP (VoIP) number or email, you must register those telephone numbers and/or e-mail address in NotifyLA. NotifyLA uses geomapping so alerts are targeted by geographic location. That means, alerts will only be sent to the subscribers in the area impacted by the emergency.
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 will 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
Is my personal information safe? Yes. The information you enter into NotifyLA is secure. The City of Los Angeles will not share or distribute any personal information and it will be solely used for providing emergency notifications only.
While every attempt will be made to contact residents and businesses in response to an emergency, there are factors that may impact the completion of those calls. These factors can include loss of electrical power, telephone company line capacity, busy conditions, caller ID blocking, etc.
Individuals relying on Telecommunication Relay Services (TRS) includes –such as Text-to-Voice TTY-based TRS, Speech-to-Speech Relay Service, Shared Non-English Language Relay Services, Captioned Telephone Service; IP Captioned Telephone Service, Internet Protocol Relay Service, or Video Relay Service as well as Teletypewriter for the Deaf (TTY) are encouraged to sign up to receive text messages using a smartphone or mobile device by providing a TTY or mobile number.