Wireless Emergency Alerts will have cell phones buzzing in the near future.
COLUMBIA (WACH) - Wireless Emergency Alerts will have cell phones buzzing in the near future.
The alerts, which could begin this June, are a partnership among the wireless industry, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The service provides cell phone users with free messages about weather warnings, local emergencies, missing person alerts, and Presidential alerts during a national emergency. The messages will come to the phone with a unique attention signal and vibration, according to the FCC.
Those with phones capable of receiving Wireless Emergency Alerts will receive messages without signing up for them or even downloading an application.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service will broadcast warnings for weather emergencies such as tornadoes, flash floods, hurricanes and extreme wind directly to cellular phones in the area where the warning has been issued.
According to NOAA, thunderstorm warnings will not be part of the initial rollout of broadcast messages because they are so frequent.
Authorities say that the alerts will reach phones based on their real-time geographic location, but it is important to understand that the service is not tracking individual users. The alerts are sent from area cell towers to mobile devices in the area.
Cell phone users will be able to opt out of all messages except for emergency alerts issued by the President, according to the FCC.
Click here for provider-specific Wirelress Emergency Alert Information.
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