US has started issuing severe weather text alerts to the public, much like the SA Weather Service does. Except.... It's FREE !!!!

Wireless carriers and the federal government are launching a system to automatically warn people of dangerous weather and other emergencies via a special type of text messaging to cellphones.

The Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) service, which begins this month, is free, and consumers won't have to sign up. Warnings will be location-based: If you're traveling, you'll get an alert for whatever emergency is happening where you are.

"Wireless carriers representing more than 97 percent of subscribers voluntarily agreed to develop and offer free, geographically targeted wireless emergency alerts," said Amy Storey, spokeswoman for the CTIA -- The Wireless Association. AT&T, Cellcom, Cricket, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon Wireless are participating.

Alerts for many weather events

Alerts will be issued for such life-threatening events as tornadoes, flash floods, hurricanes, typhoons, tsunamis, dust storms, extreme winds, blizzards and ice storms.

"These text alerts will be very brief, under 90 characters," said National Weather Service spokeswoman Susan Buchanan, "and are intended to prompt people to immediately seek additional information through the wide range of weather alert communications available to them, such as the Internet, television, radio or NOAA Weather Radio."

She said alerts about very dangerous situations such as tornadoes will give advice such as "seek shelter immediately."

WEA can also issue AMBER Alerts for missing children and Presidential Alerts for national emergencies. People can opt out of AMBER and Weather Alerts but not Presidential Alerts.

An alert will look like a text, but the system uses a different technology that isn't subject to congestion or wireless network delays, the CTIA said.

"This is another great way of receiving warnings immediately, just like weather radio and other sources," weather service spokesman Chris Vaccaro said.

- By Doyle Rice | USA Today

SAWDOS: THIS IS HOW IT MUST BE DONE!! Weather Alerts free of charge to the general public. It shows that the US renders a weather service and not a pay as you go service. The US have the safety of its citizens at heart, other than South Africa who force their citizens to pay for weather alerts and info. Man I really cannot understand the logic of paying for any weather information. The SAWDOS would like to congratulate the US in their open minded approach to weather alerts. The SAWS should learn from the US in this regard and how  to render a free service to the public. However money is more important than people lives in South Africa. In South Africa we must pay for weather alerts and radar images to stay alive!!