KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Severe weather season is here, and now you can get weather warnings – as well as other emergency alerts – directly to your cell phone.
The federal government has created the free program that sends a text message to your cell phone when there’s severe weather in the area, as well as other emergencies such as an Amber Alert or a presidential emergency.
Nearly all wireless carriers have agreed to offer the alerts, but customers must first have a cell phone capable of receiving the text messages. The public safety system sends out geographically-targeted alerts, so that if you are traveling, you’ll only be notified of emergencies in the location you are currently at.
Customers have the option of turning off the weather and Amber Alerts but not the presidential alerts.
Officials are asking that anyone with questions about the program to contact their wireless service provider for more details.