Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) is an alerting network in the United States designed to disseminate emergency alerts to mobile devices such as cell phones and pagers. Authorized public safety officials send WEA alerts through FEMAs Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) to participating wireless carriers, which then push the alerts to compatible mobile devices in the affected area. Here are some key points about WEA:
- WEA alerts are short emergency messages that warn the public of an impending natural or human-made disaster.
- There are three types of warnings that will trigger a WEA: Presidential Alerts, Imminent Threat Alerts, and Amber Alerts.
- WEA alerts appear on the screen of the recipients handset as a text-like message accompanied by a unique attention signal.
- WEA alerts can be sent to mobile devices when people may be in harm’s way, without the need to download an app or subscribe to a service.
- The participation of wireless providers in the WEA system is voluntary, but those that offer the service must adhere to the technical and operational requirements established by the FCC.
- WEA alerts are an important lifesaving tool and have been used more than 84,000 times to warn the public about dangerous weather, missing children, and other critical situations.
- Alerts and warnings from local public safety officials are delivered directly to WEA-capable mobile devices when there is a dangerous situation in the area.
Overall, WEA is an essential part of Americas emergency preparedness and provides immediate, life-saving information to the public during critical situations.
