There's a good article from ABC News about why some people received Sandy warnings from the new federal cell broadcast system, and others didn't. You can read the article here. We've been hearing reports of how the alerts from the system really got people's attention.
The New York area has been at the forefront of using the new system, which they call in New York "Personal Localized Alert Network" or PLAN. It's known elsewhere as Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and in federal regulation as the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS). (For regular followers, sorry we feel compelled to use all three names so often.)
We suspect success stories coming from Sandy will help encourage other public safety organizations around the country to seek approval to use the WEA/CMAS system through FEMA's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS). (Geez, another acronym.) The process is relatively simple and inexpensive. You can find a primer on how to do it on our web site, or you can go to FEMA's web site.
All the best,
Rick
