EDITOR'S UPDATE: ECM no longer recommends AlertSanDiego. While the service does provide timely notification of emergencies targeted by zip codes, we have received complaints of SPAM, political mail and excessing mailings sent to subscribers of that service.
Instead, we recommend only the Viejas Wildfire & Emergency Alerts service powered by East County Magazine. We average a couple of alerts per week and we NEVER send you anything other than emergency alerts via our service. You may also sign up for a weekly e-newsletter about East County news and events, if you choose. We do not share our list with anyone, not even our sponsors--and we always value your privacy.
October is fire season, the month when both the devastating 2003 Cedar Fire and the 2007 wildfires struck our region. Advance notification is crucial to saving lives during a wildfire.
We recommend that everyone in San Diego County sign up for two different emergency notification services: the Viejas Wildfire Alerts powered by East County Magazine http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/?q=node/89 and AlertSanDiego. http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/oes/ready/signup.html.
Why two services? Because they reach people in different ways and at different times. During a fire, you don’t know what may burn – so it’s safest to receive notifications by e-mail AND phone. It’s also wise to sign up for both early notification of a regional threat, and for narrower notices that reach those within an evacuation zone.