Emergency Communications: The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and All-Hazard Warnings

Abstract

The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is one of several federally managed warning systems. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) jointly administers EAS with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in cooperation with the National Weather Service (NWS), an organization within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NOAA/NWS weather radio system has been upgraded to an all-hazard warning capability. Ways to improve the NOAA network and the broader-based EAS are underway or are being tested. Much has been accomplished in recent years but the current hodgepodge of warning and alert systems is inadequate for fully alerting the public about terrorist attacks or natural disasters, or for providing information on how to respond. As was demonstrated on September 11, 2001, after the southeast Asian tsunami on December 26, 2004, and again when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, the ability to communicate after a disaster also has a critical role in saving lives.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 02, 2005
Accession Number
ADA453718

Entities

People

  • Linda K. Moore
  • Shawn Reese

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil Defense
  • Computer Networks
  • Department Of Homeland Security
  • Disasters
  • Emergencies
  • Emergency Response
  • Homeland Security
  • Information Processing
  • Information Systems
  • Internet
  • National Governments
  • National Security
  • Natural Disasters
  • Network Science
  • Radio Equipment
  • United States
  • Warning Systems

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science/Meteorology
  • Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
  • Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of Proposed Air Force Base Actions.