Notification /alert systems

  • Public alertsDHS helps diffuse Verizon emergency alert scare

    Thanks to social media, DHS was able to help quickly diffuse an alarming situation for residents in New Jersey

  • Emergency comm.Local towns signing up for Twitter and Facebook for emergency comm.

    Following the lead of several other cities and federal agencies, the town of Wilton, Connecticut recently launched a Facebook page and Twitter account to help communicate with residents and share information during a disaster

  • Emergency alertsSprint customers first to receive wireless emergency alerts

    Thanks to Sprint, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will now be able to broadcast wireless emergency alerts to cell phones for the first time; the move allows FEMA, the president of the United States, the National Weather Service, or local and state emergency officials to broadcast warning messages and safety information through text messages

  • Emergency alert systemGlitches in nationwide emergency alert test

    Last Wednesday the United States conducted its first ever nationwide test of its emergency alert system, but based on reports the test did not go smoothly; instead of hearing the alert tone as the emergency alert title card was being displayed, some DirectTV subscribers were treated to Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi”

  • Emergency Agency SystemDHS to broadcast first ever nationwide EAS test

    Yesterday at 2 PM eastern standard time, the first ever nationwide Emergency Agency System (EAS) test took place, in an effort to help strengthen the effectiveness of the EAS as a means of notifying the American public of emergencies and potential dangers both regionally and nationally

  • China syndromePakistan likely let China examine U.S. stealth helo

    U.S. intelligence officials believe that Pakistan’s intelligence service allowed Chinese military engineers to examine the wreckage of a new stealth helicopter used in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden; the helicopter was damaged in the assault on bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan in May and Navy SEALs were forced to leave it behind

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  • Emergency evacuationClassrooms cut off from emergency alert systems

    Classrooms were designed to be isolated cocoons that allow children to focus on learning away from distractions; while ideal for learning, these classrooms pose a significant problem for mass notification systems making it difficult for authorities to notify children, college students, and teachers during emergencies

  • Public emergency notificationEmergency alerts for cell phones

    Residents living near Austin, Texas can now receive important emergency notifications on their cell phones for free; with more and more individuals switching to cell phones and abandoning their land lines, emergency responders and government officials have been forced to adapt emergency warning systems to connect to cell phones instead

  • Smartphone apps help thousands in latest storms

    In the recent string of natural disasters to hit the Midwest, emergency communication smartphone apps have proven invaluable for contacting family members and first responders; during these natural disasters, telephone lines and cell phone towers are often inundated with traffic, leaving individuals unable to contact their loved ones or even reach 911; thanks to smartphone apps like Life360, individuals have been able to contact family members to let them know they are okay, or alert emergency workers if they are in trouble; during the floods that left Memphis, Tennessee under water, more than 2,400 families used the app to share their locations and confirm their safety

  • Early warningEarly warning system helped save lives in Japanese quake

    Japan has spent millions of dollars to build a sophisticated early warning system for earthquakes and experts say that it helped save millions of lives and mitigated the damage from the 11 March earthquake and tsunami; while the massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami flattened much of northeastern Japan, the damage would have been far worse had Japan not had its early warning system in place; the system can provide anywhere from ten to thirty seconds of advance notice before an earthquake strikes giving Japan’s residents just enough time to slow down trains so they do not derail, shut off dangerous machinery, and send people to find cover

  • Emergency notificationNew York first in nation to deploy PLAN emergency alert system

    New Yorkers will be the first in the United States to have a new emergency alert notification system available to them; the program is called PLAN, for Personal Localized Alerting Network; PLAN is a new public safety system that allows customers who own an enabled mobile device to receive geographically targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area; users should expect several kinds of alerts: warnings directly from President Obama, messages about immediate safety threats, and Amber Alerts about missing kids

  • Emergency alert system now reaches cell phones

    The Federal Communications Commission is working with cell phone providers to expand its emergency alert system to include mobile phones; under the new program, dubbed the Personal Localized Alerting Network (PLAN), individuals will receive cell phone alerts from the government about emergencies occurring where they live; subscribers will receive alerts even when cell towers are jammed with traffic; the program will first be rolled out in New York City by the end of the year and officials expect to have nationwide coverage in 2012

  • Japan quake reconstruction could take ten years

    Yesterday an advisory panel to the Japanese government announced that it could take a decade to rebuild Japan after the 11 March earthquake and tsunami wiped out much of north-eastern Japan; the council said that the first three years alone would be devoted to building roads and erecting temporary housing for the thousands of families that have been displaced; rebuilding towns could take another four years and a full recovery might take even longer; the damage from the recent quake was far greater than the large quake that struck Japan in 1995; Prime Minister Kan’s cabinet has approved almost $50 billion in spending for post-earthquake rebuilding

  • 2002 Color-code terror alert system, RIP

    On 26 April a new terrorist alert system — the National Terrorism Alert System (NTAS) — will go into effect, replacing the color-code alert system which has been in effect since 2002; the new system will include “imminent threat” and “elevated threat” alerts; the “imminent threat” alert will warn of a credible, specific, and impending terrorist threat against the United States; in some cases, alerts will be sent directly to law enforcement or affected areas of the private sector

  • Emergency communicationEnsuring cyber infrastructure in rural areas meet demand in emergencies

    Research groups at the University of California, San Diego are building a scalable computer infrastructure to provide better access to camera feeds from rural areas when fires, earthquakes, flash floods, or other natural disasters hit San Diego County; approximately 1,000 people visit High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network’s (HPWREN) Web page to view camera feeds on a typical day. On a not-so-typical day — like when snow recently blanketed large swathes of rural San Diego mountaintops — the number of visitors quadrupled