Local Emergency Alerts

Discussion in 'Gadgets & Tech Talk' started by Diane Lane, Aug 17, 2016.

  1. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2015
    Messages:
    4,572
    Likes Received:
    4,041
    I tried to sign up for local emergency alerts recently. It was a multi-step process for some reason. I'm not sure why it has to be so difficult to sign up just to receive notifications. I suppose it's because some people sign up using their mobile numbers, and the site has our names and email addresses, but it seemed a lot of work to me. I signed up, then had to wait for an email to click the link for verification, then I had to create 3 security questions. This is basically the same protocol my bank and credit cards use, so it seemed excessive to me. This is actually my second time signing up, because the first time, I forgot to follow up and click the verification link. I was reminded a few minutes ago when the neighborhood siren went off and I didn't receive a notification.

    That being said, I'm glad the system exists, and that I am able to learn about emergency situations in this way. Sometimes when the neighborhood siren goes off, they will make an announcement, but one time when they did that, the announcement was in error, and wasn't accurate. I immediately turned on the television today to see if there was any news of why the siren was sounding, but of course it was just all junk morning programming that had nothing to do with the situation.
     
    #1
  2. Ike Willis

    Ike Willis Supreme Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2015
    Messages:
    2,460
    Likes Received:
    6,012
    The first Monday of each month they test the alert sirens in my town. On one test day, there really were tornados in the surrounding area. When they sounded the sirens for the monthly test, it scared the bejabbers out of some of the nervous Nellies here.
     
    #2
    Diane Lane likes this.
  3. Sheldon Scott

    Sheldon Scott Supreme Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2015
    Messages:
    2,995
    Likes Received:
    4,756
    I get storm warnings on my cell phone.
     
    #3
  4. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
    Staff Member Senior Staff Greeter Task Force Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2015
    Messages:
    24,325
    Likes Received:
    42,610
    I enjoy surprises so I seldom know about weather conditions until I am in them.
     
    #4
  5. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2015
    Messages:
    19,089
    Likes Received:
    18,917
    I've only gotten a few Amber Alerts on my iphone...scared the heck out of me. They come on the TV also.

    Weather doesn't change much here and they don't warn you about an earthquake, so it's just Amber Alerts and so far they've all been dismissed, usually a parent type abduction.
     
    #5
  6. Corie Henson

    Corie Henson Veteran Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2015
    Messages:
    2,880
    Likes Received:
    2,465
    Local emergency alert. Gee, that's a neat way of informing the public when something's relevant going on. Especially here in our town which is a low-lying area that is susceptible to flooding, that alert system would be a great public service when there is a need for evacuation. We have no such alert here although the emergency number like your 911 was recently launched. And on the first day, there were more than 300 prank calls, huh.
     
    #6
    Diane Lane likes this.
  7. Gary Ridenour

    Gary Ridenour Veteran Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2015
    Messages:
    1,938
    Likes Received:
    2,404
    same here. we get the siren test the 1st Wednesday of each month. unless bad weather is already posted
     
    #7
  8. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2015
    Messages:
    12,750
    Likes Received:
    8,743
    We get the testing on tv.
    I've got our iPhones set up to get different alerts, including weather.

    Basically speaking.....I want us to know what's going on.
     
    #8
  9. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2015
    Messages:
    4,572
    Likes Received:
    4,041
    I don't have cell phone service, so I signed up to receive the calls via email. I get email alerts on my cell phone, which is rarely far. I use the phone at home, via wifi only. I am still baffled though as to why they require such a rigorous screening process. Perhaps it's due to people having payment services set up on their cell phones and maybe hackers could potentially access that information via their mobile numbers.

    I never did find out why the alert went off. Seeing as I'm close to the port and petrochemical plants, and there's been one explosion and numerous chemical releases since I've lived here, it could always be that, a terrorist attack, a weather situation, or any number of other scenarios. We're always a little more on alert here during Hurricane Season, so I'm glad I finally got signed up for the service. When I first moved here, the alerts came via home phones, but apparently they don't work with VOIP phones, which is what most of us here these days, if we have home phones at all. Many here do still have home phones (VOIP), because cell phone service is so spotty that it's good to have a backup.
     
    #9
  10. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
    Staff Member Senior Staff Greeter Task Force Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2015
    Messages:
    14,879
    Likes Received:
    27,863
    We live just across from the Redstone Arsenal, and they test the sirens the first Wednesday of each month , too. They do it right at noon, and they have all kinds of different sirens sounds there; so it takes a while for them to run through all of them.
    There is also the bugle morning and afternoons on the post, and that is every day. Mostly, the only weather alerts that we get sirens for is if there is a tornado around the area, and when they are likely to happen, we usually watch the weather on the television to see what is going on.
     
    #10
    Diane Lane likes this.
  11. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2015
    Messages:
    4,572
    Likes Received:
    4,041
    We have a (usually unmanned) volunteer fire station in the neighborhood, and I think that's where the sirens come from, although I am not positive about that. A time or two, the police have driven through making announcements. We've been under a lot of flood alerts lately, and I think we're under one right now as well. Since the neighborhood is cut off from others, off by ourselves, we tend to pay more attention, since it takes a while for help to arrive.
     
    #11

Share This Page