Geo-Targeting Performance of Wireless Emergency Alerts in Imminent Threat Scenarios: Volume 2 - Earthquake, Tsunami and Radiation Warnings

This study examines how Geo-targeted Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) can be used to warn the public in three potentially deadly scenarios: a large destructive earthquake; a tsunami; and a terrorist detonation of nuclear weapon in an urban area.

The report also examines how WEAs can be used to evacuate the public from the threat area in each scenario. It evaluates the benefits of providing advance warning of these threats and the potential performance advantages of using alternative cell antenna selection methods for geo-targeting WEA messages.

In conclusion, current WEA services can effectively geo-target earthquake early warning (EEW) messages. However, industry studies imply that EEW message time delay may be too large to provide effective warning using the current WEA service. In light of these findings, it is recommended that DHS, the State of California, the State of Oregon and the USGS investigate whether there are relatively inexpensive ways to modify the current WEA service to improve its responsiveness.