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Emergency Management

Receiving Warnings

Outdoor warning sirens, also known as “tornado sirens,” are not designed to be heard indoors or wake you up at night. NOAA Weather Radios, Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), or smartphone apps are a more reliable source for weather and non-weather related warnings.

NOAA Weather Radios

A NOAA Weather Radio is a device, much like a smoke detector, that will sound a loud alarm when weather watches or warnings are issued by the National Weather Services or local emergency response authorities issue official emergency alert system messages. Weather Radios can be purchased at many local department stores or online for around $30. Weather Radios must be programmed according to the manufacturer’s instructions to the proper channel and location code, known as a SAME code. The following channels and SAME codes should be used for Manitowoc County:

In northern Manitowoc County:

  • Channel: 162.550 MHz
  • SAME Code: 055071

In southern Manitowoc County:

  • Channel: 162.525
  • SAME Code: 055071

In southwest Manitowoc County:

  • Channel: 162.500
  • SAME Code: 055071

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

WEA are short text-like messages sent to most smartphones and feature phones released in the last few years without he need to install a special app. They are sent for alerts issued by the President of the United States, alerts involving imminent threats to safety or life, AMBER alerts for missing children, and alerts conveying recommendations for saving lives and property. WEA is enabled by default on most smartphones and feature phones by default, but individuals should verify that WEA is enabled on their device. For iPhones, open Settings, tap on Notifications, and scroll all the way to the bottom to ensure that “AMBER Alerts,” “Emergency Alerts,” and “Public Safety Alerts” are all turned on. For Android devices, the settings will be found in a different place depending on what phone you have, but are generally found in the sound, notification, or display settings under “Cell Broadcasts” or “Emergency Alerts.”

Phone Apps

A variety of private vendors, organizations, and news media outlets produce apps that provide weather alerts or breaking news. Be sure than any app you install on your smartphone sounds an alarm that is loud enough to wake you up at night and that you properly configure the app for your location.