NCR Homeland Security Program

The local governments in the National Capital Region are building citizen warning systems (CWS) to rapidly alert residents with vital information in case of an emergency. The technology sends text messages to devices capable of receiving short message service (SMS) formatted information. E-mail accounts, most wireless phones, pagers, and wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs), such as Blackberrys, may receive these alerts.

Local government emergency management experts will issue alerts on a variety of topics such as weather news, transportation advisories, and information on terrorist incidents. Residents may register their message-receiving devices to receive alerts issued by one or more jurisdictions. If people work and live in different jurisdictions, they may wish to sign up for alerts from both places.

Current Systems

Many of the jurisdictions pictured at right will be implementing citizen advisory systems in the fall of 2005. Currently, the following systems are available for registrations. The links will take you to the registration page. You will need to register for each system separately.