FEMA Showcases Warning System Improvements
The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System will accommodate cell phones, residential phones, and the Internet and serve as a more flexible tool for communicating with the public before, during, and after disasters.
FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will be showcasing the progress made thus far on the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) in presentations at the 2010 National Association of Broadcasters Show, which takes place this week in Las Vegas. IPAWS is the nation's next-generation alert and warning network, an expansion of the Emergency Alert System that includes cell phones, residential phones, the Internet, and the ability to broadcast one message over more media to more people before, during, and after disasters.
"IPAWS will provide timely alerts and warnings to the American people," said Damon Penn, FEMA's assistant administrator of the National Continuity Programs. "Working with our broadcasting partners, the system will allow federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local officials to reach people directly during those critical times when just a few minutes may save lives."
FEMA will have a booth with information on IPAWS at the Las Vegas Convention Center through Thursday. For more information on the event, visit www.nabshow.com. For more information on IPAWS, visit www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws.