The City of Philadelphia’s notification system that provides you with emergency information is ReadyPhiladelphia.
There are two ways to sign up.
To receive text alerts to your phone on emergencies or severe weather, simply text ReadyPhila to 888-777.
To get more information sent as text or emails in addition to emergency and weather, like transit alerts, special events, and sirens from Philadelphia prisons, select your preferences, including your preferred language, on the ReadyPhiladelphia website.
Most alerts are available in eleven languages: English, French, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Swahili, and American Sign Language.
Some alerts may include for evacuations and shelter in place instructions, and the locations of emergency evacuation shelters for the public.
Information comes direct from the source: National Weather Service, Philadelphia Police, Philadelphia Fire, SEPTA, and the prisons in Northeast Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Department of Prisons oversees the testing and messaging for their alerts.
ReadyPhiladelphia has options on how you receive alerts:
- On your phone through a mobile application with push notifications.
- Text
- Voicemail
Alerts can be targeted to specific locations. It’s easy. Just select up to five addresses in Philadelphia. You can sign up to get alerts for home, work, school, or other addresses important to you.
Your safety is our top concern. That’s why the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management wants to make sure you know about emergencies and incidents as they happen. By signing up for ReadyPhiladelphia, you’ll be informed about incidents that could impact your safety.
If you have any questions, email us at warning@phila.gov.