Countywide AlertMarin Test Planned Saturday Morning

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Marin County will perform its biggest-ever test of the local emergency alert system this weekend. The Office of Emergency Management will send its first countywide test message via AlertMarin to all registered users Saturday at 10 a.m.

The alerts may arrive by text, call or e-mail based on each user's settings. Officials said the test will be the first of its magnitude, designed to ensure the effectiveness of Marin's primary method to alert community members to emergencies that could require evacuations, sheltering in place and other urgent actions.

"The success of our efforts during an emergency can quickly turn depending on our community's ability to receive emergency notifications," said Steven Torrence, director of the Marin OEM. "Our hope is that this test will give communities throughout Marin a greater understanding of the ways they can be alerted by the AlertMarin notification system."

The OEM will operate a call center to answer community questions between 9 a.m. and noon. Officials encourage residents to register in advance so the test can reach as many people as possible.

"Signing up and verifying you are signed up for alerts is one of the easier steps to building a resilient community," Torrence said. "At the end of the test, members of the community will have a greater understanding of how the AlertMarin system works, and the various devices that can notify them during an incident."

Residents can sign up to receive AlertMarin notifications online and update their information in the portal to ensure their phone, email and address information are correct.