Abstract: An interactive crisis alert system allows persons to be notified of a crisis condition to select the method and instrumentality through which they are notified. The system supports communication with its users via telephone, cell phone, pager, PDA, e-mail, and facsimile machine. In addition to notification of crisis situations the system can be used to disseminate information of interest to relevant groups of the system's users. The system provides for registration via Internet connections between the system and its users. A specific person within the household of users has access to enter household data into the system, and to determine who within the household will receive specific categories of crises or information. This specific person also determines who can take custody of children within the household during a crisis situation.