Be Informed

Be Informed about Different Types of Hazards

It's important to become familiar with the different types of hazards that are likely to impact your community or neighborhood. Learn what to do before, during and after specific types of disasters or emergencies. See Common Hazards in West Virginia, download specific Hazard Information Sheets.  

Know Your Alerts and Warnings

When emergencies strike, public safety officials use timely and reliable systems to alert you.There are different types of emergency alert systems from the local, state and national level. Some are automatic and some you have to sign up for to get text or e-mail alerts. Here are some steps you can take to be informed. 

• Contact your County Emergency Management Office to see what systems, Apps, or social media they use so you can sign up or follow them. 
  
• Download the FEMA App - it allows yoy to receive real-time weather alerts and much more!
  
• Get Tech Ready! Learn ways that you can use technology before and during disatsers. 
  

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are short emergency messages from authorized federal, state, local, tribal and territorial public alerting authorities that can be broadcast from cell towers to any WEA‐enabled mobile device in a locally targeted area. WEAs can be sent by state and local public safety officials, the National Weather Service, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the President of the United States.

• WEAs look like text messages but are designed to get your attention with a unique sound and vibration repeated twice.
• WEAs are no more than 360 characters and include the type and time of the alert, any action you should take and the agency issuing the alert.
• WEAs are not affected by network congestion and will not disrupt texts, calls or data sessions that are in progress.
• You are not charged for receiving WEAs and there is no need to subscribe.

The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national public warning system that allows the president to address the nation within 10 minutes during a national emergency. State and local authorities may also use the system to deliver important emergency information such as weather information, imminent threats, AMBER alerts and local incident information targeted to specific areas.

• The EAS is sent through broadcasters, satellite digital audio services, direct broadcast satellite providers, cable television systems and wireless cable systems.
• The President has sole responsibility for determining when the national-level EAS will be activated. FEMA and the FCC are responsible for national-level tests and exercises.
• The EAS is also used when all other means of alerting the public are unavailable.

NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations that broadcast continuous weather information from the nearest National Weather Service office based on your physical location. NOAA Radios

• NWR broadcasts official warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• NWR also broadcasts alerts of non-weather emergencies such as national security or public safety threats through the Emergency Alert System.

Learn more at https://www.ready.gov/alerts

WV State Government Sources for Information