Ocean City starts new alert system for emergencies

(Aug. 18, 2023) Ocean City public safety officials recently announced that OC Alert, powered by Rave Mobile and Smart911, is now available to residents.

OC Alert is a free trial service that allows individuals to sign up for notifications sent from state and local authorities. The system keeps residents and travelers informed on potentially hazardous situations involving weather, traffic and other emergencies.

OC Alert enables residents and travelers to Ocean City to sign up for free at smart911.com/smart911/ref/reg.action?pa=oceancitymd to receive timely and actionable emergency alerts through email, text or voice messages.

Users can identify what they would like to be notified about and when they are alerted.

Ocean City residents and travelers can also download the Smart911 app to sign up for OC Alert and receive key information needed in emergencies.

The Smart911 app provides enhanced functionality by sending targeted alerts based on the user’s location.

App users will receive the highest priority National Weather Service alerts, including hurricane, flash flood and severe thunderstorm warnings based on real-time locations.

Download the Smart911 App on the Apple Store or Google Play or by texting “Smart911” to 67283.

“Keeping our residents and visitors safe is the number one priority,” Emergency Services Director Joe Theobald said in a news release. “We encourage all residents and visitors to sign up for OC Alert in order to be prepared should an emergency occur.”

OC Alert is trusted by thousands of institutions including state and local authorities, businesses and educational institutions. The system sends millions of messages daily and during critical situations.

Community members are encouraged to sign up for OC Alert and input or update their information and notification preferences at alerts.smart911.com or in the Smart911 app. To learn more, visit oceancitymd.gov/oc/alerts/.