Wireless Emergency Alerts to now be used

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has entered into an agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to begin using Wireless Emergency Alerts through the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System, FEMA’s national system for local alerting that shares emergency information to the public.

Wireless Emergency Alerts use the same system that share critical notifications like AMBER alerts with the public, as well as other time-sensitive information during natural disasters or threats to public safety. WEAs provide the ability to send alerts directly to mobile devices without the user needing to download an app or subscribe to a service. State departments of transportation in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Texas have successfully used WEAs for major road closure alerts, and many local county sheriff’s offices in Minnesota have authority to use the system as well.