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Guest post by Lanie who blogs at September Road, a blog about raising special needs kids.
WEA is an acronym for Weather Emergency Alert. Thanks to a partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Weather Service (NWS), new  Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA’s) were launched early last month.

WEA is another tool to inform the public of local natural and man-made disasters such as tornadoes and flash flooding. Major cell phone companies across the U.S. will send free text message-like alerts to users who may be in the path of danger. –Lisa Donnelly, Midland Press Release, Jun 7, 2012

However, according to the statistics, only about 10% of phones currently in use are   capable of receiving the WEA broadcast. (Guess who’s going shopping??) This service is a free public safety service. In addition to imminent threats, the alerts will also include  Amber Alerts and Presidential messages (you can opt out of the first two, but not the  Presidential Messages).

Some other features of the alert system are as follows:

• No app to download.
• WEA sent by authorized government alerting authorities through your mobile  carrier.
• Alerts contain a message and any action you need to take and the agency issuing the alert.
• WEA messages include a special tone and vibration, this is automatic and is not a part of your settings and options.
• This service is offered for free by wireless carriers. WEA messages will not count towards texting limits on your wireless plan.
• WEA are broadcast one-way from area cell towers to mobile devices in the area.
• Every WEA – capable phone within range receives the message, so even if you don’t live in the area, you will get the alert because you are located within range of the broadcasted alert.
• During an emergency while it is common for networks to be “congested” and hard to make or receive calls, WEA is not affected by these conditions.
• For more information you can go to the Ready FEMA site.

Check with your local brick and mortar store to see if your phone is WEA ready. If it isn’t, see if your plan will allow you to make an upgrade. For more specific information, see your carrier’s website for their terms and conditions.

Stay Safe & Stay Informed!

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