• Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), also known as CMAS (Commercial Mobile Alert System), is a part of a national alerting system called IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert and Warning System) that enables emergency management officials to rapidly disseminate

the warnings and safety information via text alerts to wireless phones based on the phones' geographic location.
• The  Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA  is responsible for receiving the alerting information and forwarding the alerts to participating wireless carriers.  Such alerts may come from the President of the United States; the National Weather Service, state or county public safety officials.  This system is integrated into the same national alerting services that serve television and radio today.
• This is new technology developed to avoid the risk that emergency alerts might get stuck in highly congested areas (a risk with standard mobile voice and texting services). Wireless carrier participation in CMAS is voluntary.
• The wireless industry, The FCC (Federal Communications Commission), and FEMA will roll-out the WEA's (Wireless Emergency Alerts) system nationwide this year through the CMAS.

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