In a state where hurricanes, tornadoes and flash floods are a constant threat, the shrill tone of an emergency alert is supposed to cut through the noise. But for many Texans, those urgent warnings now compete with countless other pings and buzzes from their phones — and too often get ignored, experts say.
When heavy rain sent a wall of water rushing down the Guadalupe River on July Fourth, many people slept through the alerts buzzing on their phones.
These warnings all sound the same, even if it’s related to missing children, injured police officers or severe storms.
Crisis communication expert Jeannette Sutton said too many warnings get lost in the daily noise: "It's a real problem that we haven't quite sorted out, especially as so many different kinds of warnings come through the same channel."
Sutton said people should sign up for local community alert systems, like CodeRED, which serves more than 10,000 communities throughout the U.S. In areas with poor cell service, backup options like weather radios can help people stay informed.
"Because," she warned, "there will be a time when the message actually is meaningful to you."
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