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BE SMART. TAKE PART. 

KNOW YOUR

ALERTS AND

WARNINGS

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Receiving timely information about weather conditions or other emergency events can make all the difference 

in knowing when to take action to be safe. Local police and fire departments, emergency managers, the National 

Weather Service (NWS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Communications 

Commission (FCC), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and private industry are 

working together to make sure you can receive alerts and warnings quickly through several different technologies 

no matter where you are–at home, at school, at work, or in the community. 

For those with access and functional needs, many messages are TTY/TDD compatible and many devices have 

accessible accommodations. Review this fact sheet to make sure you will receive critical information as soon as 

possible so you can take action to be safe. Be sure to share this information with your family, friends, and colleagues. 

And remember to keep extra batteries for your mobile phone or radio in a safe place or consider purchasing other 

back-up power supplies such as a car, solar-powered, or hand crank charger.

IPAWS

INTEGRATED

PUBLIC ALERT AND

WARNING SYSTEM

Organized by FEMA, the Integrated Public Alert and Warning 

System (IPAWS) is the Nation’s alert and warning infrastructure. 

It provides an effective way to alert and warn the public about 

emergencies using the Emergency Alert System (EAS), Wireless 

Emergency Alerts (WEA), NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards, 

and other public alerting systems from a single interface. 

IPAWS is used to send notifications for three alert categories—

Presidential, AMBER, and Imminent Threat.

For more 

information on 

IPAWS, EAS, 

and WEA, visit 

www.ready.gov/alerts.

Using IPAWS, officials can send messages simultaneously through multiple 

pathways, including:

- EAS: used by alerting authorities to send detailed warnings to broadcast, cable, 

satellite, and wireline communication pathways;

- WEA: Free, 90-character emergency text messages sent by local alerting 

authorities to equipped mobile devices within range of cell towers broadcasting 

in the affected area. You do not have to sign up for WEA alerts. To find out if your 

mobile device is capable of receiving WEA alerts, contact your cellular service 

provider or visit www.ctia.org/WEA; and

August 2015 - IPAWS compliant digital road signs, sirens, and other systems.
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NOAA

WEATHER RADIO

ALL HAZARDS

The NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards, or NWR, is a nationwide 

network of radio stations broadcasting forecasts, warnings, and 

emergency information 24 hours a day. It is a comprehensive 

weather and emergency information service available to 

the public. All-hazards messages include weather events, 

technological incidents like chemical spills, AMBER alerts, 

and national emergencies. NWR also broadcasts EAS notices.

A special weather radio receiver is required to receive NWR broadcasts. You can 

buy these receivers at many retail outlets such as electronics stores, department 

stores, big box stores, or online. Be sure to look for the Public Alert or NWR logo 

to ensure the radio meets technical requirements. Models identified as SAME, or 

Specific Area Message Encoding, receivers allow users to select alerts for specific 

geographic areas. For information on NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards, visit

www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr.

LOCAL JURISDICTION

EMERGENCY

NOTIFICATION

SYSTEMS

OPT-IN/SIGN-UP TEXT AND EMAIL SYSTEMS 

Many jurisdictions have opt-in public alert and warning systems. An opt-in system 

means you must sign up to receive the alert. Once you have signed up, officials in 

your area can send you text or email messages about local emergencies. Most 

opt-in systems allow subscribers to choose the devices that receive alerts as well 

as the types of alerts. Because you may not be near a television or radio when 

something happens, a local text or email alert can be an extremely useful source 

for critical information. Small costs may be associated with receipt of text 

messages from your mobile device service provider. 

To find out what alerts are available in your area, you can do an Internet search with 

your town, city, or county name and the word “alerts”; you can go to the website 

for your local emergency management or public safety office; or you can contact 

these offices by telephone. 

ENHANCED TELEPHONE NOTIFICATION (ETN) SYSTEMS

In the event of an emergency, local officials in many local communities can send 

warning messages and instructions to individuals in an at-risk area through an ETN 

system, such as a Reverse 911® system. Most systems include landline phone 

numbers, but some also allow for messages to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) 

and mobile phones through an opt-in process—check with your local emergency 

management for information on this system and available features. 
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OUTDOOR SIRENS AND/OR VOICE ALERT SYSTEMS 

Outdoor sirens and/or voice alert systems are used to alert people outdoors of 

an immediate danger so they can take cover. The system is not designed to be 

heard inside building walls. Note that some communities may still have the siren 

infrastructure in place but it may no longer be operable, so it is important to check 

with your local emergency management office to understand if this service is 

currently provided.

LOCAL SCHOOL OR ORGANIZATION NOTIFICATION SYSTEMS 

Many workplaces, schools, and community- and faith-based organizations have 

notification systems to warn individuals of emergencies and provide tailored 

notifications. These may range from listservs to opt-in text and email systems 

similar to those used by local jurisdictions.

MOBILE APPS WITH

LOCAL ALERT

FUNCTIONS

FEMA APP

Stay updated with severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service for up 

to five locations across the U.S.; learn how to stay safe before, during, and after 

over 20 types of hazards; save a custom list of the items in your family’s emergency 

kit; and locate and receive driving directions to open shelters and disaster recovery 

centers. You can also submit disaster-related photos to a public map using the 

Disaster Reporter feature. The FEMA App is also available in Spanish. Download 

the app to your mobile device or smartphone free on iTunes or Google Play. Learn 

more at www.fema.gov/mobile-app.

AMERICAN RED CROSS APP 

The Red Cross Emergency app combines more than 35 different types of severe 

weather and emergency alerts. You can choose the alerts that are important to your 

location or the location of loved ones. The “Family Safe” feature allows you to notify 

loved ones that an alert has been issued in their area and check to see if they are safe. 

The app also offers information on what to do before, during, and after severe weather 

hits and how to find open Red Cross Shelters. All content is also available in Spanish. 

You can download the app to your mobile device or smartphone free on iTunes 

(Apple-iOS 6.0 or later) and Google Play (Android). Learn more at

www.redcross.org/prepare/mobile-apps.

THE WEATHER CHANNEL APP

Tracks weather and provides local forecasts and push alerts of severe weather to 

your mobile device. Download the app to your mobile device or smartphone free 

on iTunes (Apple-iOS 6.0 or later), Google Play (Android), App World (BlackBerry), 

and Windows Phone at www.weather.com/apps.
America’s PrepareAthon! www.ready.gov/prepare

SUMMARY OF

ACTIONS

FOR INDIVIDUALS

- Confirm your mobile device can receive Wireless Emergency Alerts.

Sign up for text and/or email alerts from your local jurisdiction.

Consider purchasing a NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards.

If you do not have a landline, check to see if your jurisdiction has options for VoIP 

and mobile phones to be connected to ETN systems such as Reverse 911©. 

Sign up for listservs and alerts for the workplace, schools, houses of worship, or 

other community organizations you’ll want to hear from in an emergency. 

Download relevant hazard alerts and warnings apps.

Create a list of all the alert systems available to you, and make sure everyone in the 

household receives the alerts as part of your household communication system.

FOR ORGANIZATIONS

- Test internal communication systems to ensure all individuals in the organization 

can be contacted. 

Designate individuals to be responsible for distributing alerts from official sources. 

Consider purchasing a NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards.

Develop a list of all the alert systems available for your community and your 

organization as a guide for people in the organization. 

Encourage individuals to sign up for alerts and warnings, and assist them with 

finding any needed information.

America’s PrepareAthon! is a grassroots campaign for action to get more people prepared for emergencies. 

Make your actions count at ready.gov/prepare.

The reader recognizes that the Federal Government provides links and informational data on various disaster preparedness 

resources and events and does not endorse any non-Federal events, entities, organizations, services, or products.

10 WAYS TO PARTICIPATE IN

Access Alerts 

and Warnings

Test 

Communication Plans

Assemble or 

Update Supplies

Drill or Practice 

Emergency Response

Participate in a Class, 

Training, or Discussion

Plan with 

Neighbors

Conduct an 

Exercise

Make Property

Safer

Document and 

Insure Property

Safeguard 

Documents