Some emergency systems wait for the public to call, and others reach the public first. The first kind is 911, the phone number you call when you need help right away, as of November 2026. Local and state governments pay to run 911, using fees that are collected through landline and wireless phone bills, and the system itself is run by local and state governments, not the national government. Their authority and duties vary from state to state. 911 call centers save recordings of calls, and how long they must keep them varies from one state to another. Not everyone reaches 911 by voice. Text-to-911 is available only in certain places, as of November 2026, and each call center decides how and whether to accept texts. Text-messaging apps that only text other app users, or work through social media, are not required to support texting to 911. Many deaf and hard-of-hearing callers still use a TTY text telephone to reach 911, a device invented in the 1960s that the 911 office calls slow to operate.
Alerts work the other way, because they go out to people who have not called anyone. A phone alert about danger nearby is called a Wireless Emergency Alert, and it looks like a text message and makes a special sound and vibration. NOAA Weather Radio is a nationwide network of radio stations that broadcast weather information all day and night. As of November 2026, it broadcasts on seven VHF frequencies from 162.400 to 162.550 MHz. The Emergency Alert System lets the president address the nation within 10 minutes during a national emergency, and other agencies use it for weather, AMBER alerts and local incidents. FEMA's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, called IPAWS, lets local officials send Wireless Emergency Alerts, Emergency Alert System messages and weather messages at the same time. They go out through NOAA weather radios and systems such as sirens and digital billboards.
As of November 2026, the FEMA App sends real-time National Weather Service alerts for up to five locations and helps people find shelters, and a person can also search for an open shelter by texting SHELTER and their ZIP code to 43362 (standard rates apply). Weather warnings come from two places, and the difference between a watch and a warning matters. Tornado watches are issued by the Storm Prediction Center, while warnings are issued by your local forecast office. A tornado watch means tornadoes are possible, so families should review their plan and be ready to act. A watch is issued for a large area, often many counties or even states. A tornado warning means a tornado has been sighted or shown by weather radar, so people should take shelter right away. A warning covers a much smaller area, about the size of a city or small county.
A Tornado Emergency is the National Weather Service's highest alert level, and it means a violent tornado has touched down and people should take shelter immediately. If you see a tornado coming, do not try to outrun it in a car; take shelter where you are. Water has its own watches and warnings. A Flood Watch means conditions are favorable for flooding; it does not mean flooding will occur, but it is possible. A Flash Flood Warning is issued when a flash flood is imminent or occurring, and people in flood-prone areas should move at once to high ground. A flash flood is a sudden, violent flood that can take from minutes to hours to develop, and it can happen even in places where it is not raining. Do not drive through flooded roadways, because six inches of fast-moving water can knock you down, and one foot can sweep a vehicle away.
Words to know
- recordings: saved audio
- imminent: about to happen
- issued: officially sent out
- TTY: text telephone
