Wireless Emergency Alerts

Emergency personnel need to be able to quickly alert people to potentially life-threatening situations. Since most people carry their mobile devices with them wherever they go, developing a program to reach people on their wireless devices made a lot of sense.

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) were developed by the wireless industry and government agencies to send concise, text-like messages to people who have WEA-capable mobile devices. When a dangerous situation arises, this technology helps to ensure as many people as possible are made aware and can take action to stay safe or help others in need. You might have already noticed your phone making a unique, loud noise or vibrating like you are getting a phone call when an alert comes in.

There are three different types of alerts:

  • Presidential Alerts: These are alerts issued by the President or a designee (note: these are very rare and only used in an extreme emergency).
  • Imminent Threat Alerts: These are alerts that include information on severe man-made or natural disasters where there is a threat to life or property (e.g., hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc.).
  • AMBER Alerts: These are alerts that comply with the U.S. Department of Justice’s criteria to assist law enforcement in their search to find abducted children.

These alerts are free to the consumer and everyone with a WEA-capable device is automatically enrolled to receive them. If you want to see if your device has this unique, life-saving technology enabled, check with your wireless provider: