VBAlert
- Emergency Preparedness
The City of Virginia Beach uses VBAlert to send notifications to residents and visitors when there is a public safety incident. Alerts are automatically sent to landline telephones in the affected area(s) of the city. To receive text alert notifications on your mobile device(s) or via email, simply register online as a new user.
VBAlert Messages Include
- Weather watches and warnings
- Evacuation announcements
- Rabid animal alerts
- Police, fire, or EMS activity
- Hazardous materials incidents
- Boil water advisories
- Transportation disruptions (road closures, major traffic incidents)
VBAlert
The VBAlert system sends messages to registered users via text, email, and phone.
VBAlert is the City of Virginia Beach’s official emergency alert and notification system. This system is used to send alerts to the public during emergencies. It's a free service that allows you to sign up online to receive customized alerts via text, email, and voice messages.
Be the first to know when emergencies happen. The City of Virginia Beach uses VBAlert to send official, real-time alerts to the public with information about potentially life-saving actions they may need to take to keep themselves and their families safe. By signing up for VBAlert, you're taking a big step toward improving your personal safety.
This service is provided by the City of Virginia Beach at no cost to the public. However, message and data rates may apply depending on your provider and phone services.
While VBAlert is an excellent system, we cannot guarantee that you will receive notification in all cases. Disasters and emergencies are chaotic and unpredictable. In addition, notification is dependent on external providers such as your wireless carrier or email delivery service outside the City of Virginia Beach’s control. VBAlert will use all the means of communications you register for to try to ensure that should any one of the communications methods, technology, or delivery options be unavailable to reach residents, other methods will be used to improve the likelihood that the message will be received.
Signing up for VBAlert is easy! Go to www.vbgov.com/vbalert and register your contact information.
VBAlert is available to anyone who lives, works, travels through, or visits the City of Virginia Beach. The address can be your home, work, or any other location you care about.
Once you have signed up online at www.vbgov.com/vbalert and confirmed your contact information within the system, you will begin receiving alerts.
The frequency for which you receive alerts depends on the address you provide, the types of alerts you select to receive, and the frequency of actual emergencies. Emergency alerts will only be sent when there is an immediate threat to life and/or property. Community notifications will not be sent when the criteria for sending an alert are met.
The system is not intended to bombard you with information. The city will only send alerts about the information you select to receive. To change your alert settings, login to www.vbgov.com/vbalert and edit your preferences.
- Go to the login page for VBAlert www.vbgov.com/vbalert
- Login using your VBAlert username and password (If you’ve forgotten these, follow the instructions on the page under “Forgot Username or Password?”)
- Once signed in, click the ‘Preferences’ tab at the top
- Under ‘Notification Preferences,’ you can make changes to both the phone numbers and email addresses on which you want to receive VBAlert messages by clicking or unclicking the checkboxes
- You can also choose what alerts you want to receive and the method you wish to receive them by (text, voice, email)
You are not able to reply to texts or emails sent by VBAlert. If you have questions about an alert, call the City of Virginia Beach’s 311 center at 311. If you are outside the city, call (757) 385-3111.
Messages will be left for calls answered by machine or voice mail. If a phone call is not answered or busy, the system redials your number several times.
No, your information is private and will not be used or distributed in any manner. The information you provide is exempt from public disclosure and will be used for emergency purposes only.
Personal information provided to VBAlert is private and only used to notify you for official City of Virginia Beach communications and to support the City of Virginia Beach’s emergency services. Your information is not used for marketing purposes and will not be sold to telemarketers or data-mining organizations. A variety of “opt-in” mechanisms are available to ensure you are getting just the messages you want to receive, delivered via the devices and communication modes you choose. VBAlert utilizes the highest standards in physical and computer security technologies and conducts regular audits to ensure all information is kept secure. Privacy policies are also outlined in the Terms and Conditions you review when you sign up to receive VBAlert notifications.