Patent ID: 8639212

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving, by an emergency alert interface server, an indication of an emergency alert for an alert area, wherein the emergency alert interface server is part of a system comprising the emergency alert interface server, a geographic information system based alert mapping server, a cellular site radio frequency propagation database, and a cellular ID lookup table; querying the cell ID lookup table, by the emergency alert interface server, for determining cellular sites configured to provide coverage for the alert area during the emergency; receiving, from the cell ID lookup table, a list of cellular sites configured to provide coverage for the alert area during the emergency; providing, by the emergency alert interface server, for distribution to subscriber, the list of cellular sites and an emergency alert message indicative of the emergency; providing, by the emergency alert interface server, the list of cellular sites to a geographic information system based alert mapping server to determine geographic areas within the alert area that do not have cellular coverage during the emergency; receiving from the geographic information system based alert mapping server an alert area radio frequency propagation map indicating the geographic areas within the alert area that do not have cellular coverage, wherein the received indication of the geographic areas within the alert area that do not have cellular coverage is indicative of the geographic information system based alert mapping server querying the cellular site radio frequency propagation database to obtain radio frequency propagation characteristics for each cellular site of the list of cellular sites; providing the indication of the geographic areas within the alert area that do not have cellular coverage, wherein intended recipients of the provided indication of the geographic areas within the alert area that do not have cellular coverage are emergency event command personnel associate with the emergency; and providing, during the emergency, via a portable cell tower, an indication of the emergency alert to a geographic area within the alert area that does not have cellular coverage.