If you are using cell phone in Texas recently, chances are that you have received many of the alert like this from your cell phone. Because of the heavy rain across the state, many cities and rural area have experienced flood. As part of the wireless emergency alert (WEA) system, the severe weather alert was send to the cell phones in the affected area.
The WEA system is not limited to the weather, it also include other situations that pose imminent threat such as:
- Extreme weather warnings
- Local emergencies requiring evacuation or immediate action
- AMBER Alerts (for lost or kidnapped children)
- Presidential Alerts during a national emergency
The WEA was send free of charge to the WEA enabled devices. It is different from regular text messages by including a special tone and vibration, both repeated twice. It is definitely noticeable in the middle of the night. Given that the message is send to quite a large area, sometimes it is annoying if you know you are safe.
It turn out that you can actually turn off most of the WEA alert (except presidential alert) from your phone. For iPhone uses, go to “Settings–> Notifications”, find the “Government Alert” at the bottom of the page.
For more information about WEA, you can read the official website or here.