Wireless Emergency Alerts

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) are part of a national public safety system that allows customers with WEA-capable mobile devices to receive notifications of local emergency situations.

U.S Cellular is proud to continue offering WEA at no additional charge to its customers throughout its service areas and beyond, via roaming arrangements with other wireless carriers.

Your phone must be WEA-capable and powered on to receive an alert. WEA have a unique sound and vibration so that all recipients, including those with disabilities, receive notification of the situation.

• Presidential Alerts — Issued by the U.S. President or a designee as a nationwide alert during national emergency events only.
• Imminent Threat Alerts — Issued by National Weather Service (NWS) and Public Safety officials during severe natural or man-made disasters in which an imminent threat to life or property exists (e.g., tornadoes or dangerous flooding).
• AMBER or BLUE Alerts — The former are issued by law enforcement as part of the search for a missing or abducted child, while the latter alerts in situations where a law enforcement officer may be in danger.
• Public Safety Alerts — Issued by authorized Emergency Managers as an essential public safety advisory. These alert types may include Public Safety advisory messages such as "shelter in place" or "boil water" warnings.

*Enhanced alerting capabilities are dependent upon FEMA's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) infrastructure readiness. IPAWS enhanced readiness is not anticipated until on or after June 10, 2019, impacting the delivery of WEA feature enhancements.

Things we want you to know: U.S. Cellular does not guarantee alert delivery or timeliness. U.S. Cellular is not responsible for content of alerts. Delivery of alerts is considered "best-effort" and alerts may not be received in weak signal areas.