In late April, many people across the local area received a notification through their phones or wireless device for an Amber Alert that was issued in the Tri-Cities. Some people may have wondered why they were receiving this alert, or were wondering if they even signed up for such a service.

What you experienced was part of Wireless Emergency Alerts. Wireless Emergency Alerts are a public safety system that allows customers with compatible mobile devices to receive geographically targeted, text-like messages alerting them to imminent threats to safety in their area.

Authorized national, state or local government authorities, including the National Weather Service, send alerts regarding public safety emergencies — such as severe weather, missing children or the need to evacuate — using WEA. The alerts are sent by geographic area, so that means you can receive the alert if you are visiting Seattle, for example, even if you don’t live in Seattle, as long as you have a mobile device that is capable of receiving the alerts.

Wireless companies volunteer to participate in WEA, which is the result of a unique public/private partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Communications Commission and the United States wireless industry in order to enhance public safety.

All enabled wireless devices will handle WEA slightly differently. An iPhone will handle the setup and display differently than an Android, as will different manufacturers, Samsung versus Google for example, but the goal is ultimately the same.

There are four levels of Wireless Emergency Alert messages:

• national alerts

• imminent threat alerts

• public safety alerts

• Amber Alerts

Carriers may allow their customers to opt in or out of any of the alerts except national alerts, which you are automatically opted into and cannot change. National alerts are reserved for national emergencies and are issued by the president of the United States.

Severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service fall under the imminent threat alert category. Not every weather warning rises to the level of being considered an imminent threat and qualifying for WEA. The ones that do include tsunami warnings, tornado warnings, certain severe thunderstorm warnings, certain flash flood warnings, hurricane/typhoon warnings, storm surge warnings, extreme wind warnings, dust storm warnings and snow squall warnings.

Since not all severe weather is covered by a WEA, it is still just as important to stay informed about the weather from the National Weather Service or your favorite weather source. Across Northeast Oregon and Southeast Washington, much of our impactful weather, such as fire weather and winter storms, falls outside of what is covered by WEA. However, certain flash flood and severe thunderstorm warnings would be covered as well as dust storms, and if you travel they can be useful to know about as well.

Regardless of the type of message, WEA messages are no more than 360 characters and will have a unique notification sound and vibration that will sound twice. Follow the action advised by the alert. The message will show the type and time of the alert, any action you should take and the agency issuing the alert. You can get more details from your local authorities. WEA messages are also free.

Wireless Emergency Alerts are another tool available to reach as many people as possible in a geographic area that will be impacted by certain severe weather events. Through the use of wireless telephones and other wireless devices, messages can be better targeted to reach those people most likely to be imminently affected by certain types of severe weather.

For further information on Wireless Emergency Alerts, go to www.weather.gov/wrn/wea or shorturl.at/fjxiL.