- Radio, TV, cable and satellite services must carry Emergency Alert System messages.
- You may opt out of some phone alert classes, but not National Alerts.
- Austin’s weather radio transmitter is WXK27 on 162.400 MHz.
Key takeaways
- The Emergency Alert System interrupts TV and radio; you do not need to do anything to receive it.
- Wireless Emergency Alerts reach phones automatically, by location, through your carrier.
- NOAA Weather Radio is the backup that keeps working when power and cell service fail.
- During a flash flood warning, act on the alert first and look for details second.
In Central Texas the alert that matters most is often a flash flood warning in the middle of the night. It might reach you through a phone that buzzes on the nightstand, a TV that interrupts a show, or a weather radio that sounds an alarm. Each is a separate system with its own rules.
The Emergency Alert System
The FCC’s rules for the Emergency Alert System, at 47 CFR Part 11, list who must take part: AM, FM and low-power FM radio stations, broadcast TV stations including low-power TV, cable systems, satellite TV and satellite radio, among others. The FCC calls them EAS Participants.
Every EAS activation follows the same four-part structure set out in 47 CFR 11.31: a preamble and coded header, an audio attention signal made of two tones sent together, the message itself, which may be audio, video or text, and an end-of-message code. That is why alerts sound alike on every station. Under the FCC’s equipment table, TV stations carry the message as video as well as audio.
Wireless Emergency Alerts
The National Weather Service describes Wireless Emergency Alerts as emergency messages sent by authorized government alerting authorities through your mobile carrier, sent automatically to WEA-capable phones during an emergency, with a unique sound and vibration. Partners include state and local public safety agencies, FEMA, the FCC and the Weather Service.
| Alert class (47 CFR 10.400) | Can you opt out? (47 CFR 10.280) |
|---|---|
| National Alert, from the President, a designee or the FEMA Administrator | No |
| Imminent Threat Alert, for urgent, severe and likely or observed threats | Carriers may offer an opt-out |
| AMBER Alert, for child abductions meeting Justice Department criteria | Carriers may offer an opt-out |
| Public Safety Message, advising actions to save lives or protect property | Carriers may offer an opt-out |
Tip: Imminent Threat Alerts cover urgent, severe threats to life or property. If you have switched them off to stop late-night noise, consider turning them back on during storm season.
NOAA Weather Radio
NOAA’s Austin transmitter, WXK27, broadcasts on 162.400 MHz for Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Lee, Travis and Williamson counties, according to NOAA’s transmitter data. NOAA says Weather Radio broadcasts warnings, watches and forecasts 24 hours a day and, working with the EAS, carries non-weather emergencies too. More in Austin Weather and Storm Coverage: Flash Floods, Warnings and Weather Radio.
Which system for which situation?
| Situation | What reaches you first |
|---|---|
| Asleep at home | Phone alert or weather radio alarm |
| Driving near a low-water crossing | Phone alert and car radio |
| Power and cell service out | Battery weather radio |
| After the alert, wanting details | Local TV and radio news |
When an alert arrives
- Read or listen to the whole message: what, where, and what to do.
- Follow the instructions first. For floods, that usually means moving to higher ground and staying off flooded roads.
- Then turn to a local news source for details.
- Check on neighbors who may not have received it.
Tests
Alert systems are tested from time to time. A test sounds like the real thing but says it is a test. If you are unsure, check the National Weather Service or a local station before acting on rumors.
Family plan
Make sure everyone in the house knows what the alert tone means and what to do. Agree on a meeting place and a way to check in. And keep a battery radio where everyone can find it; Austin Radio Stations by Frequency: The FM and AM Dial lists the stations to tune to.
If you are deaf or hard of hearing
TV stations carry EAS messages as video as well as audio, and the National Weather Service notes that phone alerts come with a distinctive sound and vibration. Make sure phone alerts are enabled and that family members know to check the screen when the phone vibrates in that pattern.
Children and older relatives may not know what the alert tone means. Take a minute to play a description of it, show them where alerts appear on their phones and agree on what the household will do, such as checking in by text and tuning to a local news station.
Finally, test your own setup. Check that phone alerts are enabled, that the weather radio has fresh batteries and is set for your county, and that everyone knows which local station to turn to. Ten minutes before storm season can save a lot of confusion at night.