CENTRE — In weather emergencies, warnings can save lives. But traditional warning methods such as television, radio and outdoor sirens don't always reach everyone.

Consequently, later this month emergency officials in Alabama will have a new tool for sending warnings directly to affected areas—wireless emergency alerts (WEAs), according to a press release from the Alabama Emergency Management Agency sent to The Post last week by Cherokee County EMA Director Beverly Daniel.

The short messages may look like a text message, but unlike texts, which are sent directly to your cell phone number, these warnings will be broadcast to all phones within range of designated cell towers through the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS).

The alerts will indicate the type of warning, the affected area, and the duration. Cell phone users are advised to turn to other sources, such as television or your NOAA All-Hazards radio, to get more detailed information about what is happening and what actions to take.

The press release indicated that, because cell towers broadcast in a circle that emanates from their location, coverage areas do not line up neatly with county boundaries. As a result, some warnings may overlap, or refer to an adjacent county for someone within a few miles of the county line.

The messages are one-way broadcasts, delivered directly from the tower(s) in the area affected by bad weather or other emergency conditions. The Commercial Mobile System does not track or locate individual cell phones or phone numbers—it broadcasts to all phones within range of the appropriate tower.

For example, if a tornado warning is issued for Cherokee County, the information will be broadcast from all cell phone towers inside the county. Towers in an urban area generally serve a five-mile radius, the press release said, while towers in areas like ours may reach as far as 10 miles away. As a result, “the warning message may reach a little beyond the warning boundaries.”

The service will provide three types of warnings: Imminent threat alerts, typically provided by the National Weather Service' AMBER Alerts, issued by law enforcement to share information about child abduction; and Presidential Alerts, which would be issued by the president in time of national emergency.
Cell phone users may choose to opt out of the Imminent Threat or Amber alerts. The Alabama EMA encourages cell phone users to maintain the ability to receive all three types of alerts.

For more information about this new system, contact the Cherokee County EMA office, your cell phone provider or visit www.readyalabama.org.