Beginning in June 2012, emergency officials will have a new way to send warnings directly to cell phones in affected areas — Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs).
These short messages may look like a text message, but unlike texts, which are sent directly to your phone number, these warnings will be broadcast to all phones within range of designated cell towers through the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS).
The alerts will tell you the type of warning, the affected area, and the duration. You’ll need to turn to other sources, such as television or your NOAA All-Hazards radio, to get more detailed information about what is happening and what actions you should take Key Things to Know: WEA messages may look like a text, or appear over your home screen.
The alert message will include a unique ringtone and vibration.
You will never be charged for WEA messages.
Emergency alerts will not interrupt any calls or downloads in progress. If you’re on the phone when the alert goes out, you’ll get the message when you end your call.
You need not have GPS or any other special features turned on to receive the alerts.
The system does not identify your location or phone number — it simply sends the message to all devices in a given area.
If you’re on the road and enter an area with an active warning, you’ll receive a WEA message as soon as you come within range of one of the affected cell towers. Is your phone ready for WEA? If you have an older model phone, you may not receive the Wireless Emergency Alerts. Some, such as newer-model iPhone and Android phones, will soon receive software updates that add this feature.
Check with your service provider to find out if your phone is WEA-capable. AT&T, Cricket, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon all have information about the new alert system on their websites. Search for WEA (Wireless Emergency Alerts) or CMAS (Commercial Mobile Alert System) to find your provider’s list of WEA-capable phones. In reality, there are hundreds of towers with overlapping service areas within the region. Cell tower geography may lead to overwarning Because cell towers broadcast in a radius, or circle, their coverage areas don’t line up neatly with county boundaries. This means you may receive warnings for an adjacent county if you’re within a few miles of the border.
The alerts are delivered directly from cell tower to cell phone through a one-way broadcast. The Commercial Mobile Alert System does not track
or locate individual cell phones or phone numbers — it simply broadcasts to all phones within range. Unfortunately, in some cases, this
may result in overwarning.
For example, if a tornado warning is issued for a particular county,
it will go to all towers that serve that county.
Towers in urban areas generally serve a radius of two to five miles, and in rural areas up to 10 miles, so the warning message may reach a little beyond the warning boundaries.
.Wireless Emergency Alerts: Three Types of Warnings The Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) can be used to broadcast three types of emergency alerts: PRESIDENTIAL ALERTS — Issued by the U.S. President in the event of a nationwide emergency. IMMINENT THREAT ALERTS — Typically issued by the National Weather Service; in the Kansas City metropolitan area, these would include tornado, flash flooding, ice storm and blizzard warnings. AMBER ALERTS
No president has ever yet had to issue a presidential alert, but should one become necessary, cell phone providers are required to broadcast it to all WEA-capable phones.
Cell phone users may choose to opt out of imminent threat and/or AMBER alerts, but the procedures vary by carrier. Some providers will allow customers to opt out of one or the other, while others only allow you to opt out of both. Contact your wireless provider for more information.
The National Weather Service in Raleigh strongly encourages all residents not to opt out of these potentially life-saving messages. — Issued by law enforcement to share information about a child abduction. To learn more, please visit http://weather.gov/wirelessalerts Special thanks to the Metropolitan Emergency Managers Committee of Greater Kansas City for providing the flyer content.
Updated 4/18/12
Wireless Emergency Alerts
To enhance public safety, a free Wireless Emergency Alerts service is rolling out. WEA (pronounced “wee”) messages are text-like alert messages received by your mobile device during an emergency in your area. The purpose of WEA is to provide an increasingly mobile American public with a free and fast way to receive critically important information.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Why is this important to me?
Alerts received at the right time can help keep you safe during an emergency. With WEA, alerts can be sent to your mobile device when you may be in harm’s way, without need to download an app or subscribe to a service.
2. What are WEA messages?
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) are emergency messages sent by authorized government alerting authorities through your mobile carrier. Government partners include local and state public safety agencies, FEMA, the FCC, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Weather Service.
3. What types of alerts will I receive?
§ Extreme weather, and other threatening emergencies in your area
§ AMBER Alerts
§ Presidential Alerts during a national emergency
4. What does a WEA message look like?
WEA will look like a text message. The WEA message will 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.
5. How will I know the difference between WEA and a regular text message?
WEA messages include a special tone and vibration, both repeated twice.
6. What types of WEA messages will the National Weather Service send?
§ Tsunami Warnings
§ Tornado and Flash Flood Warnings
§ Hurricane, Typhoon, Dust Storm and Extreme Wind Warnings
§ Blizzard and Ice Storm Warnings
7. What should I do when I receive a WEA message?
Follow any action advised by the emergency message. Seek more details from local media or authorities.
8. Will I receive a WEA message if I’m visiting an area where I don’t live, or outside the area where my phone is registered?
Yes, if you have a WEA-capable phone and your wireless carrier participates in the program. For information about which mobile devices are WEA-capable and carrier participation, please visit http://www.ctia.org/wea or contact your wireless carrier. Updated 4/18/12
9. What if I travel into a threat area after a WEA message is already sent?
If you travel into a threat area after an alert is first sent, your WEA-capable device will receive the message when you enter the area.
10. When will I start receiving WEA messages?
It depends. WEA use begins in the spring of 2012, but many mobile devices, especially older ones, are not WEA-capable. When you buy a new mobile device, it probably will be able to receive WEA messages. For information about which mobile devices are WEA-capable, please visit http://www.ctia.org/wea or contact your wireless carrier.
11. Is this the same service public safety agencies have asked the public to register for?
No, but they are complementary. Local agencies may have asked you to sign up to receive telephone calls, text messages, or emails. Those messages often include specific details about a critical event. WEA are very short messages designed to get your attention in an emergency situation. They may not give all the details you receive from other notification services.
12. Will I be charged for receiving WEA messages?
No. This service is offered for free by wireless carriers. WEA messages will not count towards texting limits on your wireless plan.
13. Does WEA know where I am? Is it tracking me?
No. Just like emergency weather alerts you see on local TV, WEA are broadcast from area cell towers to mobile devices in the area. Every WEA-capable phone within range receives the message, just like every TV shows the emergency weather alert if it is turned on. TV stations, like WEA, don’t know exactly who is tuned in.
14. Will a WEA message interrupt my phone conversations?
No, the alert will be delayed until you finish your call.
15. How often will I receive WEA messages?
You may receive frequent WEA messages during an emergency. Message frequency depends on the number of imminent threats to life or property in your area.
16. If, during an emergency, I can’t make or receive calls or text messages due to network congestion, will I still be able to receive a WEA message?
Yes, WEA messages are not affected by network congestion.
17. What if I don’t want to receive WEA messages?
You can opt-out of receiving WEA messages for imminent threats and AMBER alerts, but not for Presidential messages. To opt out, please refer to instructions from your wireless carrier or visit http://www.ctia.org/wea for more information.
18. How will I receive alerts if I don’t have a WEA-capable device?
WEA is one of many ways you can receive emergency notifications. Other sources include NOAA Weather Radio, news media coverage, the Emergency Alert System on radio and TV broadcasts, social media, and other alerting methods offered by local and state public safety agencies. Your best use of WEA is to immediately seek additional information about the imminent threat impacting your area.
