Tuesday January 8, 2013

WARN stands for Wide Area Rapid Notification. It’s a system used by public agencies throughout Napa County to alert residents when problems occur. It is used only for emergencies and urgent communications. Using WARN, agencies can send messages by telephone or text message. However, WARN can only call land-line phones unless residents add their cell phone numbers to the system.

To get urgent notifications on your cell phone, go to www.countyofnapa.org and click on “My Napa County” in the upper right of the screen. Sign in if you already have an account, or if you’ve not already registered, use the “Sign up for My Napa County” link to create an account. Then select “WARN” from the “My Links” menu on the left. Follow the instructions on the screen to search for your address and add additional phone numbers. You don’t need to add your land line number – it’s already in the system as part of the 9-1-1 database.

WARN can send messages to the entire County, but it is sometimes used to make notifications in specific geographic areas. If you would like be notified of possible issues in neighborhoods other than your own, you can add addresses of relatives and friends to your WARN account and have calls come to your phone. Search for any local address to connect to notifications for that location.
For answers to questions about WARN, contact Elizabeth Emmett at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or at 707-253-4111.