UpOnly Learning Presents: Family Emergency Guide — Natural Disasters, Power and Internet Outages

Family Emergency Guide

Where to Get Official Alerts

Last checked: October 26, 2026

Official guidanceThis guide summarizes official guidance. It does not replace instructions from local officials. In the United States, call 911 in an emergency. If your 911 call does not go through.

Related pages: Communication Plan (including 911)

Watch vs. warning

  • The American Red Cross says, "A WATCH means Be Prepared!" and "A WARNING means Take Action!"[1]
  • The National Weather Service (NWS) says a tornado watch covers a large area, often many counties, while a tornado warning covers a much smaller area.[2]
  • Each hazard page in this guide lists the official alert names for that hazard.

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on your phone

  • The FCC says Wireless Emergency Alerts are location-targeted, text-like warnings sent to compatible phones.[3]
  • The FCC says you do not need to sign up for WEA.[3]
  • The FCC says WEA alerts are free to receive.[3]
  • The FCC says there are four types of WEA alerts: National Alerts, Imminent Threat alerts, AMBER Alerts, and Public Safety Messages.[3]
  • The FCC says carriers may let you turn off Imminent Threat and AMBER alerts, but National Alerts cannot be blocked, and the FCC strongly encourages people to keep all alerts on.[3]
  • The FCC says a WEA alert comes with a special sound and vibration.[3]

Emergency Alert System (EAS) on TV and radio

  • The FCC says the Emergency Alert System is a national public warning system that officials use to share urgent information, such as severe weather and AMBER Alerts, over TV and radio.[4]

NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards

  • NWS says NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts weather information around the clock from the nearest National Weather Service office.[5]
  • NWS says NOAA Weather Radio covers all 50 states, nearby coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Pacific Territories.[5]
  • NWS says you need a special radio receiver or scanner to hear it.[5]
  • NWS says it also carries warnings for non-weather hazards, such as earthquakes, chemical releases, AMBER Alerts, and 911 telephone outages.[5]
  • Ready.gov lists a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert in its basic emergency kit.[6]

Local alerts

  • The FCC and FEMA say to sign up for alerts from your local government, school, and workplace, which add to WEA and EAS messages.[7]
  • The FCC and FEMA say the FEMA App offers alerts and is available in English and Spanish.[7]

Earthquake early warning (West Coast)

  • ShakeAlert is an earthquake early warning system managed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that may send alerts seconds before strong shaking arrives.[8]
  • ShakeAlert covers California, Oregon, and Washington.[8]
  • ShakeAlert says to "Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel shaking or get an alert."[8]

Tsunami alerts

  • The National Weather Service points people to tsunami.gov to get tsunami alerts.[10]
  • Tsunami.gov defines four tsunami messages: Warning, Advisory, Watch, and Information Statement.[9]

Sources

Last checked: October 26, 2026. Each numbered source below was opened and checked on the date shown. Numbers in brackets in the text, like [1], point to this list.

  1. [1] American Red Cross, Thunderstorm
    Published by
    American Red Cross
    Level
    Not a government agency (non-governmental organization)
    Found at
    www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/thunderstorm.html
    Checked
    Oct 26, 2026
  2. [2] National Weather Service, Tornado Watch vs. Warning
    Published by
    National Weather Service (NWS)
    Level
    U.S. federal government
    Found at
    www.weather.gov/safety/tornado-ww
    Checked
    Oct 26, 2026
  3. [3] FCC, Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) consumer guide (PDF)
    Published by
    Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
    Level
    U.S. federal government
    Found at
    www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/Wireless_Emergency_Alerts_wea.pdf
    Checked
    Oct 26, 2026
  4. [4] FCC, Emergency Alert System (EAS)
    Published by
    Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
    Level
    U.S. federal government
    Found at
    www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/emergency-alert-system-eas
    Checked
    Oct 26, 2026
  5. [5] National Weather Service, NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards
    Published by
    National Weather Service (NWS)
    Level
    U.S. federal government
    Found at
    www.weather.gov/nwr/
    Checked
    Oct 26, 2026
  6. [6] Ready.gov (FEMA), Build a Kit
    Published by
    Ready.gov (FEMA)
    Level
    U.S. federal government
    Found at
    www.ready.gov/kit
    Checked
    Oct 26, 2026
  7. [7] FCC/FEMA, Tips for Communicating During an Emergency (PDF)
    Published by
    Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and FEMA
    Level
    U.S. federal government
    Found at
    www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/fcc-fema_tips_for_communicating_during_an_emergency.pdf
    Checked
    Oct 26, 2026
  8. [8] ShakeAlert (USGS-managed earthquake early warning)
    Published by
    ShakeAlert, managed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
    Level
    U.S. federal government
    Found at
    www.shakealert.org/
    Checked
    Oct 26, 2026
  9. [9] NOAA Tsunami.gov, Message Definitions
    Published by
    NOAA Tsunami.gov
    Level
    U.S. federal government
    Found at
    www.tsunami.gov/?page=message_definitions
    Checked
    Oct 26, 2026
  10. [10] National Weather Service, Tsunami Safety
    Published by
    National Weather Service (NWS)
    Level
    U.S. federal government
    Found at
    www.weather.gov/safety/tsunami
    Checked
    Oct 26, 2026

We check every line against official sources. If you ever spot an error (rare, but it happens), send us a screenshot through our form and we’ll fix it.