Warning Systems

General

In the event of a serious emergency or an actual disaster it is essential that every jurisdiction have a warning system(s) in place that is capable of alerting all of their citizens and the business community, in a timely manner, of the incident, and provide necessary instructions to insure their safety.

The problem is there is NO one system that is perfect as you will see as we outline all of the available systems. In order to resolve some of the problems the federal government has updated the nations warning system and created the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS).

The City of Live Oak is very fortunate in that we are part of a large metropolitan area - the City of San Antonio. We have all of the major TV networks, many radio stations, and a major newspaper along with several small neighborhood papers. The best source in getting information to the general population is through these major media outlets and most of them have the capability of monitoring emergency radio traffic that deals with serious incidents such as accidents, major fires, hazardous materials accidents, and law enforcement issues like hostage situations. In addition, the media does an excellent job in keeping the public informed when severe weather threatens.

In addition to the media, the following warning systems are available:

• The Emergency Alert System (EAS) for radio and television.
• The Emergency Notification System (ENS) (Reverse 9-1-1).
• The Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS).
• The National Weather Service - NOAA Weather Radio.