City of Orting

There are multiple ways that emergency alerts are communicated to the public by government officials.    This page is intended to provide information on how you can sign up to receive information and emergency alerts to stay informed.  The following list is not ranked in order of importance, and are provided for information purposes only:

 ORTING ALERTS

Orting Alerts is an emergency system that includes text, phone, and email notifications for the mass dissemination of critical messages. Using the software, the City of Orting can send information quickly and efficiently to residents via voice and text alerts. To receive alerts, residents will need to opt in by signing up at the link below.  Once enrolled, residents can control how they would like to be alerted, either via text, phone, or email.

Orting Alerts will primarily be used for emergencies, which involve incidents where life safety is at risk and for specific non-emergency situations that affect the citizens of Orting.

Orting Alerts is in addition to PC Alerts which you may have already signed up for through Pierce County. Orting Alerts allows the City of Orting to reach out to you, whereas PC Alerts will allow Pierce County to reach out in the event of a County wide emergency. The City encourages residents to sign up for both, as having multiple ways to be alerted in emergencies can be helpful.

To sign up for Orting Alerts click  HERE

Download the mobile app HERE

 USGS VOLCANO NOTIFICATION SERVICE (VNS)

The Volcano Notification Service (VNS) is a free service of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that sends you emails about volcanic activity at U.S. monitored volcanoes using the USGS Volcano Alert Level System.

This is the primary alerting system used by the USGS to alert the public to important changes in the status of a volcano.   You can sign up for USGS VNS alerts at:

https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vns2/

PIERCE COUNTY ALERT

Receive alerts on your cell phone, home phone, email, text messages and TTY/TDD. Choose up to five locations you want to be notified about such as your residence, workplace, child’s school and more.  

Pierce County ALERT is a free service that allows fire, police and other agencies to send out accurate and timely information to residents about emergencies.  You can sign up for Pierce County Alert via the web at:

 https://www.piercecountywa.gov/921/Pierce-County-ALERT

Or Call 253-798-6595 or text "PCALERT" to 888-777

NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALERTS

NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts 24/7 with forecasts, current weather conditions, and climate information. During severe weather, normal programming is interrupted with emergency broadcasts. Many emergency messages such as Law Enforcement emergencies, Earthquake warnings, Volcano Activity warnings, and shelter in place notifications will automatically turn on weather radios and broadcast the emergency bulletin.  For more information about weather alert radios, visit https://www.weather.gov/grb/nwr_same

OUTDOOR EMERGENCY SIRENS

Pierce County Department of Emergency Management (PCDEM) has 40 sirens in the Puyallup River Valley and the Nisqually River Valley. These sirens are meant to get the attention of people who are outside during certain emergencies so they know to get more information.

The warnings from the siren towers include voice warnings in English and Spanish, flashing lights to reach additional vulnerable populations and alert tones based on the emergency.  If you hear sirens sounding and are located in the orting valley, leave immedietly and move to higher ground.  Once at a safe elevation, continue driving so others can evacuate behind you.   Fore more infomation about the outdoor emergency sirens, visit: https://www.piercecountywa.gov/5888/Outdoor-Warning-System

 IPAWS - INTEGRATED PUBLIC ALERT AND WARNING SYSTEM and WEA - WIRELESS EMERGENCY ALERTS

The Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) is FEMA's national system for local alerting that provides authenticated emergency and life-saving information to the public through mobile phones using Wireless Emergency Alerts, to radio and television via the Emergency Alert System, and on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Radio.  You do not need to subscribe to this service as Federal Law mandates that all cellular phones be equipped with hardware that is able to receive these messages automatically.   Local, State, and Federal officials can send alerts to all cellular phones located within a specific geographic area similar to the way amber alerts are sent.   

 Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are short emergency messages from authorized federal, state, local, tribal and territorial public alerting authorities that can be broadcast from cell towers to any WEA‐enabled mobile device in a locally targeted area. Wireless providers primarily use cell broadcast technology for WEA message delivery. WEA is a partnership among FEMA, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and wireless providers to enhance public safety.

WEAs can be sent to your mobile device when you may be in harm’s way, without the need to download an app or subscribe to a service. WEAs are messages that warn the public of an impending natural or human-made disaster. The messages are short and can provide immediate, life-saving information. 

National Alerts are a special class of alerts only sent during a national emergency.

Imminent Threat Alerts include natural or human-made disasters, extreme weather, active shooters, and other threatening emergencies that are current or emerging.

Public Safety Alerts contain information about a threat that may not be imminent or after an imminent threat has occurred.  Public safety alerts are less severe than imminent threat alerts.

America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response (AMBER) Alerts are urgent bulletins issued in child-abduction cases. Rapid and effective public alerts often play a crucial role in returning a missing child safely. An AMBER Alert instantly enables the entire community to assist in the search for and safe recovery of the child.

Opt-in Test Messages assess the capability of state and local officials to send their WEAs. The message will state that this is a TEST.  

More information about iPaws and WEA alerts can be found HERE

EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI ALERTS

Information about recieving earthquake warnings before the shaking starts, and information about receiving tsunami alerts can be found HERE

WASHINGTON STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ALERTS PAGE

This is a website that also lists the various alerting platforms that are available to you to receive alerts and information.   The site can be visited HERE