Formerly SD Emergency. Official emergency information and alerts for San Diego County.
Be prepared for any emergency with the new Alert San Diego app, the official mobile companion to AlertSanDiego.org. Developed by the County of San Diego's Office of Emergency Services, this app is your all-in-one tool for emergency, preparedness, and recovery information, with official information from public officials.
Key features
• Targeted emergency alerts: Sign up for call, text, or email alerts for threats impacting your registered location, such as your home, workplace, or family address.
• Push Notifications: Allow push notifications to get notified of new emergencies and important updates.
• Live emergency map: View an interactive map with near real-time updates on active emergencies, including evacuation zones, shelters, road closures, and localized hazards.
• Preparedness Information: Learn how to create a Personal Disaster Plan and an Emergency Kit to ensure you and your family are prepared for any emergency.
• Recovery resources: After a major disaster, find vital information and resources to help you and your family recover.
• Accessible updates: Receive emergency updates in accessible formats, including American Sign Language (ASL) videos with accompanying English voice and text.
Important: Register your cell phone number to receive targeted phone, text, and email alerts from the emergency notification system in your registered area. Your registration is confidential and used only for emergency purposes.
Download the Alert San Diego app today and stay informed, prepared, and safe.
Please limit unhelpful notifications and change sound
Terbie
Due to the Lilac Fire, this app has exploded in notifications... Unfortunately most are super unhelpful. It would be great if they could limited notifications to only truly emergency info. Here are some of the notifications I've received:"DA warns of price gouging""Looking for ways to help? Monetary donations recommended"Why are these worthy of the terrifying notification sound? I don't want to turn off notifications in case there is actually helpful info, but they are encouraging me to by having all updates appear equally important by notifying me of all of them.It would also be helpful to be able to change the notification sound to be something other than the smoke alarm chirp that's the default. When you are worried about fires, smoke alarm noises are super stressful.The maps, shelter info, and volunteer info is super helpful. That part is top notch.
Nobody uses because…
TourGirl555
I’m reviewing this emergency app because these are very outdated reviews. I mean over 10 years ago?? Well it’s 2025 September and I downloaded it to my newer iPhone running updates IOS! Lots of info and didn’t have a terrible time loading any info. A lot of important information is in this app! Plus earthquake preparedness and the maps are great (USGS)! Straight forward app, & isn’t horrible in any way. We all need to remember it’s all about being prepared,& having a few options. This app is a one part of a larger disaster preparedness tool kit (go bag, water, food, pet food, batteries, medicine, blankets, flashlights etc) we all should have!
False alarms
Gnorizo
This app woke up our house in the middle of the night just now with an earthquake it claimed was 1 mile away but was actually 808 miles away, not even close to San Diego. It rated the distant earthquake as “weak” as it blasted our home with full-volume air-raid style alarms, red emergency screens, and a map showing us and the earthquake in literally different states. Then after a hot minute, it realized the earthquake is 808 away, not 1 mile away as it first assumed, and cancelled the alert. The app clearly has a bug that incorrectly calculates the initial location and distance of an earthquake, causing it to report events that are (1) not close to us and (2) not even close to San Diego. This isn’t the first time this has happened with this app; therefore, we’re deleting it. We don’t want to get woken by false alarms.
A Must For SoCal Residents
TAH 402
Great app! Despite several critics’ reviews below (dating as far back as 6 years), notifications can be personally tailored and are limited to providing helpful information during fires, dangerous heatwaves, and the like. It also is a one-stop repository for disaster preparedness—what to do in an earthquake, fire, tsunami, etc.—and provides up-to-the-minute instructions straight from the source regarding evacuation orders and routes, including maps. Highly recommend for anyone not wanting to wait for the news to learn of a potentially catastrophic event!
Bug fixes and updated age rating
Version 9.0.2
The developer, County of San Diego, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Usage Data
Diagnostics
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Seller
County of San Diego
Size
2.7 MB
Category
Reference
Compatibility
Requires iOS 16.6 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 16.6 or later.
Apple Vision Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
Location
This app may use your location even when it isn’t open, which can decrease device battery life.