Need to Know: Wireless Emergency Alerts

10/16/2018 (Permalink)

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are free notifications delivered to your mobile devices as part of a public safety system provided by authorized government-alerting authorities. The alerts are designed to inform you of imminent threats to safety or missing persons alerts in your area (e.g., AMBER Alerts).  Government partners include local and state public safety agencies, FEMA, the FCC, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Weather Service. A WEA can be sent to your mobile device when you maybe in harms way, without downloading an app or subscribing to a service.  WEAs may be used to share extreme weather warnings, local emergencies requiring evacuation or immediate action, AMBER Alerts, and Presidential Alerts during national emergency.

A WEA will look like a text message.  The WEA message will typically show the type and time of the alert, any action you should take, and the agency issuing the alert.  The message will be no more than 90 characters.  Visit www.ctia.org/wea to learn more about Wireless Emergency Alerts.