In commemoration of the 17th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom today announced the launch of AlertSF, a new emergency text-message alerting system for the public, coordinated through the Department of Emergency Management. This new system will provide post-disaster information and tsunami alerts in the event of an earthquake or major disaster, to those who sign up. AlertSF will deliver messages to registered email accounts and wireless devices such as cell phones, Blackberries, text-capable pagers and PDAs.

"Since text messaging is one of the most popular ways of communicating today, AlertSF will be an important tool to help San Franciscans stay informed when a disaster occurs," said Newsom.

Text messaging has proven to be a reliable means of communication, especially when other systems are down, as was the case after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. Roam Secure technology is being used to power similar systems in Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland and San Mateo County, Ca.

"AlertSF will send registrants vital information and instructions such as tsunami alerts and shelter information in certain types of emergencies," said Deputy Director of Emergency Services Annemarie Conroy.

The AlertSF system allows users to indicate zip codes and specific addresses in the city that concern them. This specific information will allow users to receive alerts targeted to their neighborhoods. In the future, the system may be expanded to include other types of information such as traffic delays, power outages, and road closures.

AlertSF messages can currently be sent in English and Spanish. Most text-capable devices in the U.S. can only receive messages in languages that utilize the Roman alphabet. Messages in additional languages may be available in the future as wireless device technology develops.

KW