Moreno Valley launches single-source emergency alert page and app to centralize wildfire updates

Moreno Valley announced a new one-stop emergency information page, Moval.org/alert, and an updated city app intended to centralize official updates during major incidents.

"This new page will put key information at your fingertips," Mark Lanchesky, the city’s public information officer, told attendees at the Wildfire Community Resilience Forum. He urged residents to sign up and use the app during emergencies.

Emergency managers and public information officers described the site as a way to reduce conflicting community posts and to coordinate messages from multiple agencies. "Any information that I'm getting is coming straight from the source," Jasmine Wood, a Riverside County fire public information specialist, said. "You always want to make sure that you are seeing what we're posting." She described a joint information approach that vets messages through the incident commander before broad release.

Diana Rocket Sykes, Moreno Valley’s emergency manager, called the site a "game changer" and said the portal will link the city’s alerts with partner agencies, shelter locations, pet shelter guidance and donation information so residents have a single place to check during an event.

The city emphasized that the site is not the only source of alerts but is designed to aggregate vetted messages from Cal Fire, Riverside County and local agencies. Officials reiterated that residents should rely on professional sources during a crisis and sign up for push notifications and local alert services via Moval.org/alert and the Moval 247 app.

Officials asked residents to stop by information booths outside the forum for printed materials and to register for alerts on their phones.