511 Alert for Emergencies

On the 34th anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, take time to refresh your family’s emergency plans, and sign up for 511 ALERT notifications. 511 is your go-to source for transportation emergency alerts and information about traffic, transit and other critical emergencies.

511 gathers time-sensitive transportation information from cities, counties, transit agencies and other trusted government sources. You can access transportation information any time of day or night by calling 5-1-1 from any phone, or by visiting 511.org. Sign up for 511 text message (SMS) alerts about regional transportation emergencies (powered by Nixle) by texting “511Alert” (no space) to 888-777.

Learn more about this free program at the 511ALERT web page. In the event of an emergency such as an earthquake, tsunami, wildfire or other catastrophe, registered users will receive a text-based alert about transportation impacts. A smart phone is not required.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission operates 511 in partnership with Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol and other transportation agencies.