[EAS] EAS and WEA usage during the protests/riots/civil unrest

[Barry Mishkind]

At 11:11 AM 7/6/2020, Dave Turnmire wrote:
>Is this a case of an originator failing to specify the duration? Which in my mind, would also imply poor software design if they were allowed to do that?  Or is it a case of a problem with the cell service or the phone itself?

        It may or may not be a combination of both 
        sender and/or the cell companies. 
        
        About four years ago, an AMBER alert was
        issued for NE Arizona, about 300 or so miles 
        from where I sit. The initial alert was issued
        at approximately 1AM, with a cancellation
        at about 2:30AM

        Nevertheless, I was sitting in a church at
        11:45 AM when phones and tablets all around
        me went off, in a cacophony of alerts from
        the different  carriers. The cancellation 
        came *five minutes later* and created such
        a disturbance that from that day on, the
        congregation  was advised to turn off 
        any sounds that might come from their
        electronics.

        I did enquire ... both locally and on a 
        SECC level, along with some contact
        from NWS, but never got anyone to
        explain how and why these alerts
        went off within five minutes, over
        ten hours later. 

        What I *do* know is that many people
        told me that they turned off any
        alerting because of this event. 

        EMs, the NWS, and the state DPS can
        all - eventually, if they will - state it 
        was an error somewhere. But the
        damage to the system - at least the
        public perception - remains. And, this
        was before Hawaii.
        
        It is interesting to note that EAS has
        dropped a notch or three in the
        priorities of many in recent years.

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Barry Mishkind - Tucson, AZ - 520-296-3797