Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) is an alerting network in the United States designed to disseminate emergency alerts to mobile devices such as cell phones and pagers. It is an essential part of Americas emergency preparedness and has been used more than 84,000 times since its launch in 2012 to warn the public about dangerous weather, missing children, and other critical situations. Authorized national, state, or local government authorities send alerts regarding public safety emergencies such as severe weather, missing children, or the need to evacuate using WEA. These alerts can be sent to mobile devices when people may be in harms way, without the need to download an app or subscribe to a service. The messages are short and can provide immediate, life-saving information.

WEA alerts appear on the screen of the recipients handset as a text-like message accompanied by a unique attention signal. Authorized public safety officials send WEA alerts through FEMAs Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) to participating wireless carriers, which then push the alerts to compatible mobile devices in the affected area. The system does not track the location of the mobile device, so if it is connected to the affected cell tower, it may receive the emergency alert even though it is not in the affected area.

There are three types of warnings that will trigger a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA): Presidential Alerts, Imminent Threat Alerts, and Amber Alerts. Presidential Alerts are a special class of alerts only sent during a national emergency. Imminent Threat Alerts warn of severe weather conditions or other threatening emergencies in a specific area, such as a tornado or hurricane. Amber Alerts are issued to help find missing children who are believed to be in danger.

The Wireless Emergency Alert system is a voluntary program supported by wireless operators to help make Americans safer. Participation by wireless providers is voluntary, but those that offer the service must adhere to the technical and operational requirements established by the FCC. FEMA, the FCC, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations National Weather Service work collaboratively to maintain Wireless Emergency Alerts and the Emergency Alert System, which are the two main components of the national public warning system.