AlertMarin, Marin County's emergency notification system, won the Pacific Sun's 2026 Best of Marin readers' award for Best Emergency Preparedness Service. The recognition, announced Sunday, Aug. 16, arrives as federal forecasters predict a very strong El Niño for the coming fall and winter.
About 72,000 people are registered with AlertMarin, covering roughly 48% of homes countywide with at least one subscriber. More than half of Marin households still lack a direct line to emergency notifications.
"Emergency preparedness is a shared responsibility, and one of the most important steps individuals can take is making sure they are registered to receive emergency alerts," Chief Resilience Officer Nick Brubaker said in the county's announcement.
What the upgrade changed
In April 2025, the Office of Emergency Management migrated the decade-old system to a new platform without service interruption. The upgrade lets users register multiple addresses, choose a preferred language for alerts and sign up for optional notification groups covering:
- Coastal flooding and king tides
- Riverine and creek flooding
- Prescribed burns
- Significant traffic disruptions
- Significant weather alerts
Those optional groups deliver awareness-level notices that don't replace life-safety alerts but respond to community requests for earlier, broader information about hazards.
The platform also added a fully Spanish-language sign-up experience and automated text-to-speech in English and Spanish.
Why it matters now in Southern Marin
As we reported Aug. 13, the Marin County Board of Supervisors is set to receive an El Niño and king tide preparedness briefing Tuesday, Aug. 18. The Flood Zone 9 Advisory Board approved $250,000 in June for initial preparations.
As of Aug. 13, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center gave greater than 90% odds that the 2026–2027 El Niño will exceed 2.0°C above average during October through December, according to Bay Nature. A king tide in June caused street flooding in Larkspur and Corte Madera, reaching 1.97 feet above normal. Climate researchers warn that El Niño combined with king tides and storms could push sea levels 2 to 3 feet higher in the low-lying stretch from northern Sausalito through Corte Madera and Larkspur.
The timing is not lost on county officials. Residents who want coastal flooding or weather alerts sent directly to their phone can add those notification groups after registering at Emergency.MarinCounty.gov.
How to sign up
Residents and workers can register or update their AlertMarin account at Emergency.MarinCounty.gov. The county also maintains free sandbag locations in Southern Marin at Boyle Park, Hauke Park, the Molino Avenue lot and Tamalpais Community Services District in Mill Valley; Belvedere Community Center and Blackies Pasture in Tiburon; Corte Madera Fire Station 14; and Piper Park in Larkspur.
Upcoming
- Tuesday, Aug. 18 — Board of Supervisors El Niño and king tide preparedness briefing, Marin County Civic Center
