How to sign up for emergency alerts in WA

In the event of an emergency – time is of the essence. Have you signed up to get emergency alerts sent directly to your phone?

Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA)

This is a system that broadcasts public safety messages for incidents such as AMBER Alerts, Earthquake Early Warning Alerts, Tsunami Alerts, wildfires, and more.

You can receive geographically targeted, text-like messages about threats to your safety.

To check whether your alerts are turned on, you’ll need to know which kind of phone you have.

Apple iPhones:

Tap “Settings” > “Notifications”
Scroll to the bottom of the screen.
Under “Government Alerts” tap “Emergency Alerts” and “Public Safety Alerts” to turn them on or off. Some iPhones have the ability to say “Always Deliver” or to turn this off. You will want to make sure the setting stays on “Always Deliver.”

If emergency alerts are turned on, the circle will be on the right-hand side of the switch. You will get WEAs on your iPhone and no further action is needed.
If emergency alerts are turned off, the circle will be on the left-hand side of the switch. You will need to tap the switch to put it in the “on” position. You will now get WEAs on your iPhone and no further action is needed.

Android phones:

Use the search function in “Settings” to find “Emergency Alerts” or “Public safety messages.” You may have to click the three dots in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, click settings and click alert types.
If you can’t find “Emergency Alerts” by searching in “Settings,” try searching for “Emergency Alerts” in the text message app, instead. You may have to click the three dots in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, click settings and click alert types.
Make sure all alerts are turned on (i.e. “Extreme threats,” “Severe threats,” and “Public safety messages”).

If alerts are turned on, the circle will be on the right-hand side of the switch. You will get WEAs on your Android phone and no further action is needed.
If alerts are turned off, the circle will be on the left-hand side of the switch. You will need to tap the switch to put it in the “on” position. You will now get WEAs on your Android phone and no further action is needed.

Other types of phones:

Contact your mobile phone carrier and/or mobile phone’s manufacture’s website for additional information. If you already get AMBER Alerts, you may get these alerts, too. But it’s not guaranteed because phones use different settings. Ask about emergency alerts or public safety alerts.

Local ‘OPT IN’ emergency alerts

Selection your local region below. Follow the directions to opt into getting notices on your phone via email and text. These are alerts you would likely NOT receive unless you sign up.