During any manmade or natural disaster – most recently, the tornadoes that swept through Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, and Virginia in the last week of April, and the flooding that overtook Memphis, Tennessee, more recently and threatens to devastate low-lying waterfront communities in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas -- information is one of your most valuable resources. Because it’s impossible to predict how a disaster will affect communications systems, the public needs as many options as possible to stay informed during an emergency.
A public/private partnership composed of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the wireless industry has produced a new, free service that will allow customers with an enabled mobile device to receive geographically-targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent safety threats in their area.
On May 10, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate, and top executives from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon announced that PLAN -- the Personal Localized Alerting Network -- will be available in New York City by the end of 2011 and nationwide in mid-2012. PLAN
- Ensures that emergency alerts will not get stuck in highly congested user areas, as can happen with standard mobile voice and texting services.
- Enables authorized government officials to send messages, which participating wireless providers then push using their cell towers to enabled mobile devices in a targeted geographic area.
- Allows government officials to send emergency alerts to all subscribers with PLAN-capable devices if their wireless carrier participates in the program. The alerts are free and consumers do not need to sign up for the service.
PLAN will send only three types of alerts: those issued by the president; those involving imminent threats to safety or life; and Amber Alerts. Participating carriers may allow subscribers to block all but presidential alerts.
To aid individuals with hearing or vision-related disabilities, the alerts, which must be 90 characters or less, will be accompanied by a unique attention signal and vibration.
PLAN complements the existing Emergency Alert System, which operates through broadcasters and other media service providers. Wireless companies volunteer to participate in PLAN (technically called the Commercial Mobile Alert System or CMAS). The Warning, Alert, and Response Network (WARN) Act requires participating wireless carriers to activate PLAN technology by the April 2012 deadline set by the FCC.
For more information on PLAN, visit the FCC online or follow @FCC on Twitter.
FEMA also recently announced a handful of other online and mobile emergency resources.
Online:
If you have access to a smartphone or mobile device:
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