Houston Residents To Receive Emergency Alert Text
More than two million Houston residents will receive a text from the Wireless Emergency Alerts system on Friday morning. The city’s Office of Emergency Management says it will text the alert to all cell phones in the city and Harris County at 11 a.m. Friday. Officials say the text will look and sound like an AMBER Alert, but will identify itself as a test. The city is likely to send actual alerts concerning weather emergencies, evacuation orders, shelter-in-place situations, and terrorist activity.
Houston OEM said on Sept. 5, at 11 a.m., it will send a wireless emergency alert to all residents or cellphones inside the county’s geographic area and city boundaries.
Brian Mason, deputy director and emergency management coordinator for the city of Houston, said the new warning system will look and sound like an Amber Alert but will say it’s Public Safety Alert and “This is a test.”
Houston OEM is working with all major cell phone carriers, which will allow the new alert system to work well with the World Cup so that international phones will also get a message.
The testing will also translate in 14 different languages as well.
Houston OEM says this is not Alert Houston and only for true life safety or immediate threats in case towers go down and officials need to communicate with the public
The City of Houston may issue a WEA warning for:
- Terrorist Activity
- Citywide Weather Emergencies
- Evacuation Orders
- Shelter-in-Place Emergencies
- Other emergencies which require action to protect life
Your phone is likely already opted-in to receive WEA messages.
