MALIBU—The city of Malibu will perform a full-scale test of Malibu’s Disaster Mass Notification System via Everbridge on Wednesday, June 26. The test will be used as a way for the city to continue its efforts to increase disaster readiness. The test will be used to improve the city’s capability to contact residents via their cellphones during a disaster.
“This test will help us refine the system and raise awareness among the community of this important tool so that we are all better prepared,” said Malibu Mayor Jefferson “Zuma Jay” Wagner.
Everbridge, a company that sends notifications for emergencies, came to an arrangement with cellphone companies to administer Malibu and other agencies the numbers of holders with addresses throughout the city to ensure they are in the system’s database to receive emergency notifications.
Malibu plans to expand the amount of cellphones in the Everbridge database from approximately 3,600 to 12,000. The information given will be kept confidential and will not be shared with third parties.
After the Disaster Test is conducted, Malibu will examine the effectiveness of the system and perform extra work to register additional residents in the city. The city of Malibu is also considering incorporating loudspeaker siren towers that can transmit audio messages if other methods are unavailable for use.
The city of Malibu website indicates that Everbridge, is only used in case of major disasters or evacuations to send urgent, critical information by landline phone call, cell phone, text message and email. It is a separate system from the city’s website Alert Center, which is regularly used to send out traffic, weather, utility and (minor) emergency alerts by text message and email to subscribers. The 26,150 Verizon landlines in Malibu are automatically registered.
To sign up for the city’s disaster and evacuation alerts via Everbridge, visit www.MalibuCity.org/DisasterNotifications. For more details or assistance with signing up for Everbridge, call Public Safety Manager Susan Dueñas at 310-456-2489 ext. 313 or email SDuenas@MalibuCity.org.
Users can download a free, optional Everbridge mobile app for use on Android or Apple devices. The system will work without the app. To find the app, search for “ContactBridge” in the app store or iTunes.
