National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM
Frequently Asked Questions for NOAA Employees
General
What is the NOAA Emergency Notification System?
The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Emergency Notification System (ENS) is a
tool that allows NOAA to quickly broadcast emergency information to affected employees via phone,
email, or text.
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. Personal SMS (text)
3. NOAA cell phone (voice)
4. Personal cell phone (voice)
5. NOAA email (text)
6. Personal email (text)
7. NOAA office phone/Google Voice (voice)
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 notification 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.
Where can I find more information on the ENS, and safety in general?
More information on the ENS and safety can be found on the Emergency Information for NOAA
Employees webpage.
NOAA Emergency Notification System FAQs
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 confirmation link provided in the email to confirm that you received the emergency
alert. Once you confirm receipt of the emergency notification 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 confirm your safety).
Can I trust email messages from ENS (Everbridge)?
Yes. Email messages are routed through a NOAA email address (noaa.ens@noaa.gov). To respond to an
email message from ENS, click on the link provided in the email message to confirm your receipt of the
emergency alert. Everbridge is the third-party vendor that administers the NOAA ENS. The link is not
spam or a phishing message. If you are more comfortable confirming through other communication
methods, please do so.
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
confirm receipt by responding with the requested response type, typically a “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 confirm receipt twice?
You only need to confirm receipt once even if you received multiple messages, but it is important to
always respond and confirm that you received the emergency alert. By confirming receipt of the
emergency notification 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.
Why is it that when I try to confirm 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 confirm receipt while listening to
a voicemail message. To confirm receipt of an emergency alert, please check your email or sms 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 notification and determine if the guidance applies to your current location. You can always
press “yes” on your phone or click the confirmation link provided in the email to confirm that you
received the emergency alert.
NOAA Emergency Notification System FAQs
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, office 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). Click the “Login”
button in the top right. Click on your name in the top right of the NSD homepage and click on the
“update ENS 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. The information
will not be visible to other users of the NSD. NOAA employees and staff can update their information in
three (3) ways: in the NSD (Personal Contact Information), via a respective email admin (fed manager), or
NOAA Accounts (everything else).
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 the 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 information will not be visible to other users of
the NSD; it is visible only to you.
Are new employees automatically added to the NOAA Staff Directory?
Yes, all new employees are added to the NOAA Staff Directory and NOAA Whitepages. Please consider
checking your profile to ensure that your work information is correct and also enter your personal
contact information for Emergency use only.
Who do I designate as my Federal Manager in the NOAA Staff Directory?
Regardless of your employment type, ensure that you have a federal supervisor listed as your Federal
Manager in the NSD. For all federal employees, the federal supervisor should be the person with which
you have the most day-to-day contact. Contractors should follow this same guidance, and in most cases
the Federal Manager in the NSD will not be the Federal Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative. If
the contracting company has an onsite contractor company manager, this person should not be listed
as the Federal Manager in the NSD. Likewise, interns should not have a NOAA internship program
coordinator listed as their Federal Manager in the NSD, but rather the federal supervisor that is most
involved in the intern’s technical work activities.
NOAA Emergency Notification System FAQs
