Earlier
this week the first Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) used in Southern California
happened in Murrieta. The WEA was a message alerting people in the area that
there was an AMBER Alert out for missing children. The alert came in on Monday around 11pm. If
you haven’t received one of these messages before, they are sent by authorized
government agencies and the messages are pushed to your phones via your mobile
carrier.
While some people may find these alerts obnoxious or intrusive, these alerts are for emergency purposes only and will alert you of extreme weather warnings, local emergencies requiring evacuation or immediate action, AMBER Alerts, and Presidential Alerts during a national emergency. Some people are concerned that these agencies have their phone number on record and are tracking their location, but that’s not how WEA’s work. The agencies can activate the cell towers in the area and send a message to every cell phone that is WEA capable to let people know about the current threat. You can opt out of WEA messages for imminent threats and AMBER alerts, but not for Presidential messages.
While some people may find these alerts obnoxious or intrusive, these alerts are for emergency purposes only and will alert you of extreme weather warnings, local emergencies requiring evacuation or immediate action, AMBER Alerts, and Presidential Alerts during a national emergency. Some people are concerned that these agencies have their phone number on record and are tracking their location, but that’s not how WEA’s work. The agencies can activate the cell towers in the area and send a message to every cell phone that is WEA capable to let people know about the current threat. You can opt out of WEA messages for imminent threats and AMBER alerts, but not for Presidential messages.
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