Receive early warning with SmartAlert™

Get early warning alerts via text and/or email for potential disasters happening anywhere around the globe and respond more quickly to hazards threatening the populations and assets in places you care about.

Click the SmartAlert icon from the left toolbar. While in the SmartAlert Preferences panel, check the box alongside Email or SMS (text message), or select both types of alerts.

Setup email alerts

Enter the email address for which you’d like to receive alerts. This can be the same or different than your account registration email. Be sure to select Done to save your information.

A verification email will be sent to the address you entered. Follow the instructions in the email and return to the SmartAlert Preferences panel. Select the ‘I Have Followed the Instructions’ option.

You will now see an Email has been verified status as shown above.

Have a watch office or want to alert your entire operations center? Enter your group email account in the form. Be sure to notify members of your group that they’ve been added to receive alerts and who to contact within your organization to be taken off the group list.

Setup text message notifications

Select the Country associated with the mobile phone number in which you want to receive text notifications. Next, enter your phone number in the Phone field (no spaces, dashes, or other characters).

Click the Send a Test Message button to confirm a successful SMS sign up and then select Done.

Specify hazards and severities for alerts

You can specify the types of hazard notifications and severities you’d like to receive.

Click the SmartAlert icon from the left toolbar to open the SmartAlert Preferences panel. Click on the Selected Hazards link. Next, choose the severities for each type of hazard notification you’d like to receive. You will only receive alerts that meet or exceed your chosen severity.

You can click on the severity heading at the top of the Hazard Rules panel (Warning, Watch, Advisory, or Information) to quickly select the same severity for all hazards.

Select geographic areas for alerts

SmartAlert allows you to filter alerts by location so you are notified of a hazard only when one of the areas you’ve selected is in harm’s way. The default SmartAlert Area is set to global when custom alert areas are not specified.

	Click the SmartAlert icon from the left toolbar to open the SmartAlert Preferences panel. Click on the Alert Area(s) link.
	Use the Circle, Polygon, or Rectangle shape tools to draw one or more alert areas.

Enter a name for the area you created and click the back arrow. Names help you quickly identify a specific area when you want to make edits.

Your filtered area(s) will now appear in SmartAlert Area Filters panel.

You can edit or delete the alert areas you’ve created by clicking the arrow to the right of the item in your list.

There are additional tools to help you create alert areas while in the SmartAlert Area Filters panel.

	Click the Camera to create an alert area from your current zoom extent.
	Click the Map/Location tool to help you search for a location on the map you want to outline (e.g. Florida). Learn more about this tool in the section titled Map location search.

Track the safety of your assets with SmartAlert

Track your stationary or moving assets (such as buildings, personnel, or goods in transit), and receive alerts when a hazard poses a threat. (See section on how to track the safety of your assets)

Hazard Notifications

Once you have subscribed to alerts, you will get updates on your mobile phone and / or email according to the preferences you’ve selected.

While logged into DisasterAWARE, you will also receive on-screen notifications about hazards taking place around the world. This includes new hazards as well as updates about existing hazards. These are global system notifications and are not connected to your personal SmartAlert Preferences.

To view Hazard Notification details, click the down arrow to expand the panel. Select a hazard from the drop-down list to view its content.

How to unsubscribe from alerts

To unsubscribe from alerts, click the SmartAlert icon from the left toolbar, then the simply uncheck the options for SMS and/or Email. To quickly remove alerts sent via SMS (text) messages, send a text reply with the word “STOP.”