Area alerts will ding phones

Minnesotans will soon be getting emergency alerts through their cell phones and other mobile devices.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation entered into an agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to begin using wireless emergency alerts through FEMA’s national system for local alerting that shares emergency information with the public.

The alerts use the same system that shares critical notifications like AMBER alerts with the public, as well as other time-sensitive information during natural disasters or threats to public safety. Alerts can be sent directly to mobile devices without the user needing to download an app or subscribe to a service.

MnDOT expects to send immediate mobile alerts to people in the vicinity of a highway closure or detour – helping minimize motorists on roadways during winter conditions and aiding law enforcement and emergency personnel in responding to incidents quickly. Alerts will typically include a link to 511mn.org and a simple description of the closure or incident.

MnDOT’s operating procedures include sending emergency alerts only when highway closures of more than four hours are expected due to weather or major crashes or incidents. The alerts will be sent to all mobile phones within a one-mile band around the highway, beginning 10 miles ahead of any closure location.