KNOW HOW TO RECEIVE ALERTS AND WARNINGS WHEREVER YOU ARE
There are many ways to be informed of emergency situations occurring in your local area or an area you are visiting. Some of the common methods, systems and devices will be discussed here. They include:
OUTDOOR WARNING SIRENS
Outdoor warning sirens are designed to warn people, who are outdoors, of a dangerous situation that is occurring or is approaching the area. It is critical to know you may not be able to hear a local outdoor warning siren indoors due to a number of reasons including; distance from the siren, weather conditions, or noise in the residence, building or vehicle in which you are located. Even if your community has outdoor warning sirens, you should not depend solely on these devices for warnings in your area.
If you hear an outdoor warning siren, you need to seek shelter inside a sturdy building and get more information from television, radio, internet, or by contacting a friend or family member. Do not call 911 to inquire why the siren is activated! This will tie up emergency telephone lines for actual emergency calls and cause a delay in emergency response to someone in need. This could result in making an emergency situation worse or even causing a fatality due to a delayed response.
To find out if and how your local area uses outdoor warning sirens contact the city, township or village where your home, business or activity is located or you can contact the county Emergency Management Department for that area.
FOR MECOSTA COUNTY RESIDENTS, CLICK HERE FOR LOCAL INFORMATION ON OUTDOOR WARNING SIRENS. (This page is under development, please check back in the future.)
LOCAL AGENCY ALERTING SYSTEMS
Some communities use other systems to warn residents and visitors. They may use a voice dialing system or text and emails. Most of these systems require a person to sign up to receive alerts so it will not reach any of the local public directly unless they opt-into the system. There are many types of notification systems out there that communities use and they can tailor their system to function the way that is best for their community.
MECOSTA COUNTY USES THE NIXLE NOTIFICATION SYSTEM. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON NIXLE AND HOW TO SIGN UP.
NOAA EMERGENCY ALERT RADIOS (Weather Radio)
One of the best warning devices you can have is a NOAA emergency alert radio (sometimes called a weather radio). These radios can be silent until an emergency alert is issued for the area you have programmed into the unit at which time it will activate to warn you, day or night.
Receiving weather alerts is the real advantage to using these units because you receive the alert as soon as it is issued by the National Weather Service. There is not a system used that will warn you of a tornado, severe storm, flood, etc. any quicker than a NOAA emergency alert radio. They can also warn you about other emergencies, such as a chemical spill if your community uses the NWS to send out an alert.
FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING NOAA EMERGENCY ALERT RADIOS, CLICK HERE.
WEATHER NOTIFICATION APPS
There are countless weather notification apps available for your smart phone or device. Many local television news stations offer these as well as most online weather sites such as, The Weather Channel, Accuweather, Weatherbug, etc. Most can be customized to your needs for the areas and type of alerts you choose and can keep you informed regarding watches so you know when you may be likely to experience severe weather. They can also push a warning issued to your smart device.
FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING WEATHER NOTIFICTION APPS, CLICK HERE. (This page is under development, please check back later.)
(WEA) WIRELESS EMERGENCY ALERTS
WEA is a public safety system that allows customers who own certain wireless phones and other compatible mobile devices to receive geographically-targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area. These alerts are originated by federal agencies (such as the National Weather Service) and state and local government authorities.
If an event has the potential to cause, or is causing, injury or death or extreme property damage and the public needs to take immediate action for safety reasons, a WEA can be issued by an alerting authority. The alert can be geographically targeted to a specific area and any compatible device in that area on a participating wireless carrier will alert.
Currently, the National Weather Service uses a WEA for a Tornado Warning and a Flash Flood Warning. Using the WEA for a Tornado Warning means you should receive a WEA on your phone or compatible device any time you are in a targeted area allowing you to take shelter.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WEA, CLICK HERE
There are many ways to be informed of emergency situations occurring in your local area or an area you are visiting. Some of the common methods, systems and devices will be discussed here. They include:
- Outdoor Warning Sirens
- Local Agency Alerting Systems
- NOAA Weather Radios
- Weather Notification Apps
- WEA (Wireless Emergency Alerts)
OUTDOOR WARNING SIRENS
Outdoor warning sirens are designed to warn people, who are outdoors, of a dangerous situation that is occurring or is approaching the area. It is critical to know you may not be able to hear a local outdoor warning siren indoors due to a number of reasons including; distance from the siren, weather conditions, or noise in the residence, building or vehicle in which you are located. Even if your community has outdoor warning sirens, you should not depend solely on these devices for warnings in your area.
If you hear an outdoor warning siren, you need to seek shelter inside a sturdy building and get more information from television, radio, internet, or by contacting a friend or family member. Do not call 911 to inquire why the siren is activated! This will tie up emergency telephone lines for actual emergency calls and cause a delay in emergency response to someone in need. This could result in making an emergency situation worse or even causing a fatality due to a delayed response.
To find out if and how your local area uses outdoor warning sirens contact the city, township or village where your home, business or activity is located or you can contact the county Emergency Management Department for that area.
FOR MECOSTA COUNTY RESIDENTS, CLICK HERE FOR LOCAL INFORMATION ON OUTDOOR WARNING SIRENS. (This page is under development, please check back in the future.)
LOCAL AGENCY ALERTING SYSTEMS
Some communities use other systems to warn residents and visitors. They may use a voice dialing system or text and emails. Most of these systems require a person to sign up to receive alerts so it will not reach any of the local public directly unless they opt-into the system. There are many types of notification systems out there that communities use and they can tailor their system to function the way that is best for their community.
MECOSTA COUNTY USES THE NIXLE NOTIFICATION SYSTEM. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON NIXLE AND HOW TO SIGN UP.
NOAA EMERGENCY ALERT RADIOS (Weather Radio)
One of the best warning devices you can have is a NOAA emergency alert radio (sometimes called a weather radio). These radios can be silent until an emergency alert is issued for the area you have programmed into the unit at which time it will activate to warn you, day or night.
Receiving weather alerts is the real advantage to using these units because you receive the alert as soon as it is issued by the National Weather Service. There is not a system used that will warn you of a tornado, severe storm, flood, etc. any quicker than a NOAA emergency alert radio. They can also warn you about other emergencies, such as a chemical spill if your community uses the NWS to send out an alert.
FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING NOAA EMERGENCY ALERT RADIOS, CLICK HERE.
WEATHER NOTIFICATION APPS
There are countless weather notification apps available for your smart phone or device. Many local television news stations offer these as well as most online weather sites such as, The Weather Channel, Accuweather, Weatherbug, etc. Most can be customized to your needs for the areas and type of alerts you choose and can keep you informed regarding watches so you know when you may be likely to experience severe weather. They can also push a warning issued to your smart device.
FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING WEATHER NOTIFICTION APPS, CLICK HERE. (This page is under development, please check back later.)
(WEA) WIRELESS EMERGENCY ALERTS
WEA is a public safety system that allows customers who own certain wireless phones and other compatible mobile devices to receive geographically-targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area. These alerts are originated by federal agencies (such as the National Weather Service) and state and local government authorities.
If an event has the potential to cause, or is causing, injury or death or extreme property damage and the public needs to take immediate action for safety reasons, a WEA can be issued by an alerting authority. The alert can be geographically targeted to a specific area and any compatible device in that area on a participating wireless carrier will alert.
Currently, the National Weather Service uses a WEA for a Tornado Warning and a Flash Flood Warning. Using the WEA for a Tornado Warning means you should receive a WEA on your phone or compatible device any time you are in a targeted area allowing you to take shelter.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WEA, CLICK HERE