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Read. Understand. Apply.
The Warn Room blogs apply 70 years of research to the practice of alerts and warnings. We show how evidence-based changes to message content, style, and structure can create more effective warnings.
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Live WEA Tests - there are rules for a reason
Live WEA tests are used to test the WEA system from end to end. This includes engaging the public who are receiving your messages and,...

Jeannette Sutton
Apr 7, 2025
Silver and Gold: missing person messages for aging and other populations
There are presently more than 45 alert types for missing and endangered persons. They are frequently given names such as AMBER, Silver,...

Jeannette Sutton
Mar 31, 2025


Lessons on rumoring, style, and consistency from a haz-mat message
A colleague sent this message to me, calling attention to the words "hazardous materials" and asking what might be a more plain language...

Jeannette Sutton
Mar 14, 2025


Child's Life in Danger! Comments on motivating action to search.
We've seen a lot of missing person alerts come through WEA these past few weeks. Many of them stand out for what they lack, but this...

Jeannette Sutton
Mar 10, 2025


Completing the communication loop with a post-alert message
There are a few reasons that really stand out about why an alert originator of public safety communicator could choose to send a...

Jeannette Sutton
Mar 6, 2025


A Model Plain Language Wildfire Message
Once in a while, a message will pop into the warn.pbs.org feed that is exceptional. This is one of those times. ** A complete, plain...

Jeannette Sutton
Feb 13, 2025


Thoughts on Cancelling the Missing Person Message
A few weeks ago, we wrote about "what makes a good missing person message?" and why an "all clear message" is so important. In this...

Jeannette Sutton
Feb 10, 2025


Evacuation Orders are used for Floods too
We like to highlight good messages and this Evacuation Order for flooding hits most of the marks. Issued by the Sonoma County Sheriff's...

Jeannette Sutton
Feb 7, 2025


Let's talk about Missing Person alerts
From my perspective as a scholar who studies alerts and warnings, the thing about missing person alerts that really stands out is that...

Jeannette Sutton
Jan 28, 2025


Message personalization - what does that mean for a WEA?
At the Warn Room, we frequently hear about the need to issue "targeted and personalized" messages. This is primarily in reference to...

Jeannette Sutton
Jan 16, 2025


Winter Weather Alerts: a comparison of 3 messages
Wireless Emergency Alerts for weather events generally fall into the domain of the National Weather Service (for a select set of hazards...

Jeannette Sutton
Jan 13, 2025


Improving Missing Person Messages
What makes a good missing person message? Should it be the same content as an alert? Should it follow the structure of warning message?...

Jeannette Sutton
Jan 7, 2025


A really good example of wildfire messaging for the #Franklin fire in CA
Whew, those Santa Ana winds that fall on Southern California can be brutal. When accompanied by fire weather and red flag conditions,...

Jeannette Sutton
Dec 19, 2024


All Clear Messaging...when it really matters
What is the significance of an "all clear" message? When is it right to send one? And what should it say? Academics have begun to do a...

Jeannette Sutton
Dec 16, 2024


Improving Missing Person Messages
UPDATE: In the case of this child, he was found dead in a body of water after the WEA was issued. Most of the Missing Person messages...

Jeannette Sutton
Nov 26, 2024


Flood Preparedness Messages
Some hazards have obvious early stages, where it is possible to issue messages that can help local residents and community members to...

Jeannette Sutton
Nov 11, 2024


Three missing persons, three inconsistent messages.
Messages for missing persons have the potential to motivate receivers to pay attention, look around, conduct a search, report known...

Jeannette Sutton
Nov 7, 2024


The Blue Alert that woke the entire state of Texas
This message got a LOT of unwanted attention on October 7, 2024 after it was issued to the entire state of Texas at 4:53am. Reading...

Jeannette Sutton
Nov 4, 2024


A tale of two CURFEW messages
Its time to talk a bit about jargon again... but this time in relation to CURFEW. Curfew is defined as: a regulation requiring people to...

Jeannette Sutton
Oct 31, 2024


BEES ATTACKING! Stay indoors until further notice.
For the past ten years, every time I have taught a class on crisis communication, I have asked my students to engage in an exercise where...

Jeannette Sutton
Oct 28, 2024
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