Four Ways In Which The Government Will Alert You To A Local Or National Emergency

It used to be that if there was an emergency, such as weather or some other disaster, the government warned people via radio and air raid siren. You can still hear the air raid sirens when tornadoes have touched down with a five-mile radius. While the government still uses radio as a means to alert you to danger or an emergency, they have developed other, more advanced ways to alert you. Emergency alert messaging now comes to you in these forms.

Government Video Signage

Highways and roadways near and in major metropolitan areas now have video signage on the overhead road signs. Whenever a child has been kidnapped or there is an emergency weather situation, the government uses these signs to alert motorists and request that they keep their eyes and ears open. The signs may even alert drivers to a "no-drive" restriction in exceptionally bad weather, which means that you are supposed to pull over and wait out the bad weather.

Emergency Texts

The FCC has approved government use of texts and text messaging so that the government can issue Amber alerts, Adam alerts, Silver alerts for missing elderly persons, and dangerous weather alerts. If you have not set your phone to "private," you will receive these alerts quite often. While you may be tempted to turn off the alerts, they can still be very helpful to you when you miss the government video signage on the road. 

Emergency Broadcast System

The Emergency Broadcast System is the government's own emergency system that breaks in over your regularly-scheduled TV programs to alert you to important and dangerous matters. If the situation is serious enough (e.g., tornadoes touching down everywhere), then the Emergency Broadcast System will continue to run a banner across the bottom of your TV screen. The banner includes important information about the situation, so even if you miss the initial announcement you will be able to catch the information via this banner.

Air Raid Horns

The air raid sirens are kept active in the event of a nuclear strike or bombing on American soil. If the sirens were to sound on a clear, sunshine-filled day and it is not a prescribed time for it, you should tune into your nearest TV channel or check your digital road signs for more information. If you have alerts turned on on your phone, check your phone for information too.

For more information, contact local professionals like ChyTV.