When you hear the outdoor warning system, check the City's online emergency map and AC Alert for more information.
If you hear the City of Berkeley’s outdoor warning system—a wailing siren tone followed by a voice message—check the City’s emergency map and alerting systems to find out if you need to evacuate or shelter in place.
Once you hear the siren and voice message, take emergency protective action, which would be detailed in our text, email, and online emergency notifications.
A wildfire may prompt an alert that evacuations are underway. A tsunami advisory message may direct people to get to land away from the Marina and the shoreline. Other emergencies might direct people outdoors to shelter-in-place.
People in unaffected areas should keep up to date with real-time emergency notifications, as an evacuation in one neighborhood might require others to stay off the roads. Everyone plays a role in an emergency.
In an emergency, the City first updates the emergency map, which you can get updates from via an app or view online. More detailed information is then sent via text and email to those who've subscribed to AC Alert. When you hear Berkeley’s outdoor warning system, check the map and AC Alert to help you take action.
Prepare to get emergency information: sign up, download app
Getting reliable, official information is the critical first step in an emergency. It will help you take the necessary actions as quickly as possible.
The City’s emergency map – which you can access online or via an app that sends notifications – is the first place the City updates in an emergency with protective actions specific for each neighborhood.
To receive notifications from the map about locations you care about, download the Genasys Protect app. In the app, save up to ten addresses, such as your home, work, or children’s schools.
The online map is viewable on any device. It won’t send you alerts, like the app, but it will allow you to share links of specific locations’ status to family and friends who may not have the app.
By subscribing to AC Alert, you can receive more detailed emergency text and email alerts related to specific locations you have selected.
Warning system flexible for a variety of disasters
The outdoor warning system’s sirens are located across Berkeley and were made possible by Berkeley voters’ passage of Measure FF in December 2020. The siren system is tied to the PG&E grid and also has a solar-powered battery backup that can be activated by landline, cell phone, computer, or satellite.
To date, thirteen sirens have been installed around Berkeley.
Listen to example alerts to get familiar with the sirens’ sounds and voice messages before an emergency.
Know how to evacuate safely
While getting information is the critical first step, taking action is next. In the event of an emergency, everyone should know how to evacuate their household.
Regardless of where you live or the hazards your neighborhood may face, use the City’s step-by-step Fire Weather Planning Tool to prepare for any kind of evacuation. You can document where you’ll stay, who in your house needs help, contents for your go-bag, and how you’ll evacuate – including multiple routes out of your neighborhood. See detailed information about evacuation for your neighborhood using our “evacuation story maps.”
When the siren wails, look at the app or online versions of the City’s emergency map. If you’ve subscribed to AC Alert, then you’ll be able to look for detailed text or email alerts.
When the siren sounds, take actions to stay safe.
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