emergency population warning

An emergency population warning is a method whereby local, regional, or national authorities can contact members of the public en masse to warn them of an impending emergency. These warnings may be necessary for a number of reasons, including:

• weather emergencies such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and ice storms;
• geological disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis;
• industrial disasters such as the release of toxic gas or contamination of river water;
• radiological disasters such as a nuclear plant disaster;
• medical emergencies such as an outbreak of a fast-moving infectious disease; and
• warfare or acts of terrorism.