Understanding wireless alerts

4/21/2015 (Permalink)

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are free notifications delievered to your mobile device 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.  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 may be in the harm's way, without need to download an app or subscribe to a service.  WEAs may be used to share:

A WEA will look like a text message.  The 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, including how to determine if your mobile device is WEA capable.