How to Stay Informed During an Emergency: Local, State, and National Resources

The federal government operates several overlapping alert systems designed to reach Americans regardless of where they are or what device they have. Understanding each one helps you know what to expect when an alert arrives — and how to act on it.

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) are the loud, distinctive tones that interrupt your smartphone regardless of whether it is silenced. Managed by FEMA and the FCC, WEA messages are geographically targeted and fall into three categories: Extreme Alerts (tornadoes, flash floods), AMBER Alerts (child abductions), and Presidential Alerts (national emergencies). These require no subscription — every compatible phone receives them automatically. When your phone sounds a WEA tone, stop what you are doing and read the message immediately.

NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from National Weather Service offices. A dedicated weather radio receiver — available for under $30 at most hardware stores — will alert you to severe weather even during a power outage, making it one of the most reliable backup tools in any emergency kit. NOAA broadcasts cover not just weather but also technological hazards, national security threats, and AMBER Alerts.

The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is the familiar interruption you hear on television and radio during severe weather. Broadcasters are required by the FCC to participate, meaning that even a battery-powered AM/FM radio can receive life-safety information when cell networks are overwhelmed or down. Keep a battery-powered or hand-crank radio in your emergency kit specifically for this purpose.

Several federal agencies maintain active social media presences and websites that provide authoritative, real-time emergency information. Following these accounts before a disaster occurs means you will already have them in your feed when you need them most.

FEMA (@fema on X/Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram) posts disaster declarations, shelter locations, registration deadlines for disaster assistance, and safety guidance during active events. Their website at ready.gov is the federal government's primary public-facing emergency preparedness resource. During major disasters, FEMA's social accounts are updated multiple times per day.

The National Weather Service (@NWS) operates both a national account and dozens of regional accounts (such as @NWSAtlanta or @NWSChicago) that post hyper-local forecasts, severe weather warnings, and storm updates. Following your regional NWS office is one of the single most valuable steps you can take for weather-related preparedness.

The U.S. Geological Survey (@USGS) provides real-time earthquake and volcanic activity updates, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (@CDCgov) is the authoritative source during public health emergencies. The American Red Cross (@RedCross), while not a government agency, coordinates closely with FEMA and posts shelter openings, blood drive needs, and disaster recovery resources in near real time.

Every U.S. state and territory has an Emergency Management Agency (EMA) or Office of Emergency Services (OES) that coordinates disaster response within its borders. These agencies serve as the critical link between federal resources and local response, and they are often the first to issue statewide evacuation orders, resource deployment announcements, and disaster declarations.

To find your state agency, search "[Your State] Emergency Management Agency" — for example, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), or the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). Each maintains a website with real-time incident information, and virtually all operate active social media accounts on X/Twitter, Facebook, and increasingly Instagram and Nextdoor.

During a declared state of emergency, your state EMA becomes the primary source for information about shelter locations, road closures, curfews, utility restoration timelines, and how to apply for state disaster assistance. Bookmark your state EMA's website and follow their social accounts now, before you need them.

When it comes to the specific, actionable information that determines your immediate safety decisions — whether to evacuate, which shelter to go to, which roads are passable — local government sources are almost always the most relevant. Your county sheriff, city police department, fire department, and local emergency management office will have ground-level information that state and federal agencies simply cannot provide at the neighborhood level.

Most counties and cities now operate emergency notification systems that send alerts directly to your phone via text message or automated call. Common platforms include Nixle, CodeRED, AlertMedia, and Everbridge. Registration is typically free and takes only a few minutes at your county or city's website. Many systems allow you to register multiple addresses (home, work, school) and receive alerts for each location. This is one of the highest-value preparedness steps you can take today.

On social media, follow your city's official accounts (look for verified accounts for your mayor's office, city hall, police department, and fire department), your county emergency management office, and your local utility companies. During power outages and infrastructure events, utility companies often post restoration estimates and safety warnings on their social channels faster than any other source. Local television news stations also maintain active social accounts and often go live on Facebook and YouTube during breaking emergencies.

Social media is a double-edged tool during emergencies. When used correctly — following verified official accounts and cross-referencing information — it provides faster updates than any traditional media channel. When used carelessly, it can expose you to dangerous misinformation that causes panic or leads to poor decisions.

The most effective approach is to build a pre-curated list of trusted accounts before any emergency occurs. On X/Twitter, use the Lists feature to create a private "Emergency Info" list containing your local police, fire, county OEM, state EMA, NWS regional office, FEMA, and local news stations. When an emergency happens, switch to that list view to filter out noise and see only verified official updates.

On Facebook, follow your city and county official pages and enable notifications so their posts appear at the top of your feed. Facebook's Crisis Response feature also aggregates safety check-ins and local resource information during declared disasters. On Nextdoor, your neighborhood feed can provide hyper-local ground-truth information — road conditions, downed trees, shelter availability — that official sources may not yet have.

Always apply the three-source rule before acting on social media information: verify any critical claim (an evacuation order, a shelter opening, a road closure) against at least two additional official sources before changing your plans. Misinformation spreads fastest in the first hours of a major emergency, when official information is still being compiled and people are most anxious for answers.

Several apps consolidate emergency information from multiple official sources into a single interface, reducing the need to check multiple websites and social accounts during a stressful event.

The FEMA App (free, iOS and Android) provides real-time weather alerts, safety tips for over 20 disaster types, shelter locations, and a disaster resource locator. It also allows you to receive alerts for up to five locations, making it useful for monitoring conditions near family members in other areas. The American Red Cross Emergency App similarly aggregates shelter information, first aid guidance, and local alerts in one place.

Weather apps with severe weather alerts — particularly Weather.gov (the official NWS app), Weather Underground, and MyRadar — provide push notifications for watches and warnings in your area. For earthquake-prone regions, the MyShake app (developed by UC Berkeley) provides early earthquake warnings seconds before shaking arrives, which can be enough time to take cover.

For situations where cell networks are congested or down, the Zello app functions as a push-to-talk walkie-talkie over Wi-Fi or data, and has been widely used by volunteer rescue networks during hurricanes and floods. Bridgefy is a mesh messaging app that works without internet by routing messages through nearby Bluetooth-connected devices — useful in large-scale infrastructure failures.

Every digital information strategy must have an analog backup. Power outages, cell network congestion, and internet infrastructure damage are common consequences of major disasters — precisely the moments when you need information most.

A battery-powered or hand-crank AM/FM/NOAA weather radio is the single most reliable backup information tool available. AM radio in particular has extraordinary range and can receive broadcasts from stations hundreds of miles away. During Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy, AM radio was the primary information source for many affected residents for days after the storms made landfall.

Maintain a printed contact list of your local emergency management office, police non-emergency line, utility companies, and nearest hospital. Store it in your emergency kit and in your vehicle. When your phone battery is dead and cell service is unavailable, a printed list and a landline (or a neighbor's phone) can be lifesaving. Community bulletin boards, neighborhood watch groups, and local faith organizations also serve as informal but highly effective information networks during extended emergencies when digital infrastructure is compromised.

Staying informed during an emergency is not a passive activity — it requires deliberate preparation before the crisis begins. The accounts you follow, the apps you install, and the backup tools you keep in your emergency kit all determine how quickly and accurately you can make decisions when it matters most. Take thirty minutes today to set up your information network, and you will be far better positioned than the majority of people around you when the next emergency strikes.