First-Ever Multilingual Mailer to Encourage Households to Subscribe to Notify NYC

New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) announced the launch of a groundbreaking emergency preparedness campaign, marked by the introduction of agency’s first-ever citywide multilingual mailer. This initiative, part of a three-year, $6 million program funded by federal Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds, aims to empower every New Yorker with the knowledge and tools needed to prepare for emergencies and stay informed through the Notify NYC alert system.

“When it comes to preparing for extreme weather events and protecting people outdoors, we want every New Yorker — regardless of the language they speak — to be able to utilize Notify NYC, which has helped save countless lives by providing real-time updates on weather, air quality, and other emergency issues,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Notify NYC is already available in 14 languages, including American Sign Language, and this multilingual mailer campaign will help inform our city’s diverse communities about the critical services we are already providing. I encourage every New Yorker to sign up for this free service.”

This multi-page mailer, available in 13 languages, reaches every residential address across the five boroughs. It provides information on how to sign up for Notify NYC, the city’s official source for emergency alerts. This campaign specifically targets non-English speaking New Yorkers who may not be aware of the Notify NYC service that can help them remain safe from threats such as coastal flooding, flash floods from rainfall, and other hazards like heat and air quality, as recently experienced with the 2023 Canadian wildfires. The campaign seeks to build a culture of preparedness by ensuring all residents, regardless of language or background, have access to vital information that can help them make informed decisions and act during emergencies. Over the next two years, HUD’s Disaster Recovery Community Development Block Grant will continue to fund initiatives that enhance access to Notify NYC for all New Yorkers.

Notify NYC provides alerts on a wide range of topics, including regional and mass transit disruptions, major traffic disruptions, emergency parking suspensions, ferry disruptions, planned events, weather notifications, beach notifications, and school notifications. Since its inception in 2009, Notify NYC has been the city’s go-to source for real-time emergency information, serving over 1.2 million New Yorkers in 14 languages, including American Sign Language. In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, the service issued over 2,200 unique messages, with an average response time of roughly six minutes from incident onset to message issuance.