National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
Emergency Notication System
Frequently Asked Questions for NOAA Employees
General
What is the NOAA Emergency Notication System?
The NOAA Emergency Notication System, or ENS, is an automated
broadcast tool that allows NOAA leadership to quickly deliver consistent
emergency information to affected NOAA staff.
Can all NOAA staff be contacted by the ENS?
Yes, all NOAA staff including federal employees, NOAA Corps
employees, contractors, and other associates, will be contacted by the
ENS in the event of an emergency.
How does the ENS contact me?
The ENS can contact NOAA employees using any combination of
work-related and personal contact information listed in the NOAA Staff
Directory. In most situations, the ENS will attempt to contact you in the
following order:
1. NOAA SMS/Text
2. NOAA email
3. NOAA cell phone
4. Personal SMS/Text
5. Personal email
6. Personal cell phone
6. NOAA ofce phone
Why am I receiving an emergency alert from NOAA?
NOAA will send emergency alerts because they are concerned about your
safety with regard to a potential or ongoing emergency event in your area.
Be aware that emergency alerts are delivered to NOAA employees based
on their work-related addresses listed in the NOAA Staff Directory.
Why do I have an incomplete notication message on my
voicemail?
Due to timing issues with the ENS and your voicemail system, you may
receive an incomplete message on your voicemail. Please check another
phone or email source for the complete emergency alert.
www.homelandsecurity.noaa.gov
Where can I nd more information on the ENS, and safety in general?
More information on the ENS and safety can be found on the NOAA ENS website
(https://sites.google.com/a/noaa.gov/noaa-ens/).
Response
What action do I need to take if I am contacted by the ENS?
If you receive an ENS message, carefully listen to or read the emergency alert. To respond to a voice
message, press “1” on your phone to acknowledge receipt of the message. To respond to an email message,
click the conrmation link provided in the email to conrm that you received the emergency alert. Once
you conrm receipt of the emergency notication message, the ENS will not try to contact you through
additional means. After you listen to or read the emergency alert, you should immediately act based on the
guidance provided in the message (e.g., shelter in place, evacuate the building, or contact your supervisor to
conrm your safety).
Can I trust email messages from everbridge.net?
Yes, you can trust messages from everbridge.net. Everbridge is not a spam or phishing site. Everbridge
is the third-party vendor that administers the NOAA ENS. To respond to a message from Everbridge,
click on the link provided in the email message to conrm your receipt of the emergency alert. Visit
https://www.everbridge.net/nns/EmailResponse.do?CPTH_ID=82340D879A877A631A295E199AAC
D2E02F0BE7ED351450E2 to see a sample link.
I received an SMS text message on my cell phone from “89361.” Who is that?
The number “89361” is the telecom code for Everbridge. If you receive an SMS text message from
“89361,” this means that you have received an SMS text from the NOAA ENS. Please read the message and
conrm receipt by responding with “yes” to the message.
If I get the same emergency alert to both my NOAA email address and personal cell
phone, do I need to conrm receipt twice?
You only need to conrm receipt once even if you received multiple messages, but it is important to always
respond and conrm that you received the emergency alert. By conrming receipt of the emergency
notication message, the ENS will not try to contact you through additional means.
If you are away from your email and/or phone when an emergency alert is sent, you will receive several
voicemail messages and emails until you are able to respond.
NOAA Emergency Notication System
Why is it that when I try to conrm receipt of an emergency alert on my voicemail,
the message continues to repeat?
Voicemail systems are not interactive, so you are not able to press “1” to conrm receipt while
listening to a voicemail message. To conrm receipt of an emergency alert, please check your email
instead.
I am on either work or personal travel away from my normal duty station when I
receive an emergency alert. What do I do?
If you are away from your normal duty station when you receive an emergency alert, listen carefully
to the notication and determine if the guidance applies to your current location. You can always
press “1” on your phone or click the conrmation link provided in the email to conrm that you
received the emergency alert.
NOAA Staff Directory
What is the connection between the ENS and NOAA Staff Directory?
The NOAA Staff Directory (NSD) is a database that includes comprehensive contact information for all
NOAA employees, such as duty station addresses, ofce and cell phone numbers, and email addresses. The
information in NSD is used by the ENS to contact employees in a potential or ongoing emergency.
How do I update my contact information in the NOAA Staff Directory?
The NOAA Staff Directory is available online (https://nsd.rdc.noaa.gov/nsd/moreinfo). To access the
directory, enter your NOAA email name login (john.doe) and password. There are two steps to update your
contact information in the directory.
First, scroll to the bottom of the NSD homepage and click on the Personal Contact Information button to
update your personal cell phone number (Personal Cell) and your personal email (Personal Email). Be sure to
save your changes.
Next, search for yourself on the NSD homepage, and then press Request More Information. Press the
Update Member button to update your address, ofce phone number, NOAA cell phone number, and
supervisor’s name. For assistance, visit the NSD help page (https://nsd.rdc.noaa.gov/nsd/help).
NOAA Emergency Notication System
How do I update information if I am on a detail or temporary assignment?
In the NSD, staff can add a self-expiring temporary duty station to their contact information.
Why do you need my cell phone number?
The best way to reach staff in an emergency is through a cell phone. It is strongly encouraged
for all staff to enter their NOAA and personal cell phone numbers into NSD.
How is my personal contact information used?
Any contact information entered into the Personal Contact Information (PCI) page of
NSD will only be used during an emergency situation or a related drill. The informa-
tion will not be visible to other users of the NSD; it is visible only to you.
Are new employees automatically added to NOAA Staff Directory?
New federal employees are automatically added to and removed from NSD. Contrac-
tors and associates are typically added to NSD when they receive a NOAA email ad-
dress; however, when contractors and associates leave NOAA, their NSD records must
be deleted manually by their federal managers.
Who do I designate as my Federal Manager in NOAA Staff Directory?
Regardless of your employment type, ensure that you have a federal supervisor listed as
your Federal Manager in NSD. For all federal employees, the federal supervisor should
be the person with which you have the most day-to-day technical contact.
Contractors should follow this same guidance, and in most cases the Federal Manager
in NSD will not be the Federal Contracting Ofcer’s Technical Representative for the
contact. If the contracting company has an onsite contractor company manager, this
person should not be listed as the Federal Manager in NSD. Likewise, interns should
not have a NOAA internship program coordinator listed as their Federal Manager in
NSD, but rather the federal supervisor that is most involved in the intern’s technical
work activities.
NOAA Emergency Notication System
