Inyo County Sees Positive Response to New Alert System

Inyo County’s Office of Emergency Management and Sheriff’s Office are heartened by the public’s response to the new Genasys Protect™ emergency alert and evacuation system unveiled last week. Since announcing Genasys’ availability, the County has seen hundreds of residents register to receive real-time, location-based information and notifications during severe weather and emergency events and is fielding numerous inquiries about the app.

Genasys went live on October 17 and will replace CodeRED as the primary communication tool for emergency alerts in Inyo County. The system includes two main components, Genasys ALERT and Genasys EVAC, that together will enhance the County’s ability to manage evacuations, provide infrastructure updates, and deliver critical information – such as the location of shelters, sandbags, and evacuation centers – during floods, fires, earthquakes, and other public safety threats.

While the County fortunately has not yet had a need to send out emergency notifications through Genasys, officials are confident that the community is taking the right steps to be able to receive the alerts when the time comes.

“It is great to see so many residents signing up for alerts and downloading the evacuation app,” said Emergency Manager Mikaela Torres. “To me, this shows that our public is serious about emergency preparedness and residents are being proactive about protecting themselves and their loved ones in times of disaster.”

Residents may access Genasys’ two-tiered system at any time. The real-time, location-based emergency alerts will be sent through the Genasys ALERT portal, while evacuation information will be available on the Genasys app. Residents are encouraged to utilize both components.

Here are some tips for getting started:

1. Download the Genasys Protect app to your Apple or Android devices (the app is identified by a bright green thumbprint on a dark blue background).

•Use the search bar and zone map to access area-specific evacuation information.

2.Sign up to receive separate emergency alerts via the Genasys ALERT system at ready.inyocounty.us.

•Select from the customizable options to prioritize alerts, set a preferred language (English or Spanish), and choose delivery method (text/SMS, email, or voice calls).

•Provide a home address during registration to enhance targeting of messages. (Users may add multiple addresses – such as both home and work – and include several phone numbers, for family and friends.)

•Verify the address location and that the ALERT portal has dropped the locator pin (a red triangle) on the correct address. If not, you can manually place the pin on your correct location by clicking on the map.

Anyone who would like to sign up and/or download the app but is unable to do so online is welcome to contact Inyo County Emergency Management for assistance at (760) 878-0120.
For more information, visit protect.genasys.com or ready.inyocounty.us.