Huntington Beach alert prep belongs with the beach plan

Huntington Beach uses several warning layers. AlertOC is an opt-in system for voice, text, email, and accessible-device messages. Wireless Emergency Alerts can reach compatible phones in a targeted area without registration, including visitors. The Emergency Alert System uses radio and television, and the city also has sirens at its eight fire stations.

The sirens are tested at noon on the first Friday of each month. If they sound at another time, check current city, radio, or television instructions. A siren can be used for different emergencies, so the sound alone does not tell you which action to take.

For a local tsunami, nature may warn you first. If you feel a strong earthquake near the coast, protect yourself during the shaking, then leave the low-lying coastal area. Do not wait for a phone alert or go to the shore to look. Stay out until officials issue an all-clear because a tsunami can arrive as a series of waves.

Check the city’s evacuation map for home, work, school, or a regular beach stop before an incident. During one, follow the current warning and route conditions, not an old screenshot or a familiar beach routine.