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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.


A preliminary assessment of WEAs issued for the July 29, 2025 Tsunami
This is a long post that includes a LOT of WEAs (14 to be exact). Because I followed the December 5, 2024 tsunami event fairly closely,...

Jeannette Sutton
Jul 30


Missing Person Alert Jargon: Ashanti, Ian, and Turquoise
When we take a look at the most prevalent WEA messages, the #1 type, following those issued by the National Weather Service for...

Jeannette Sutton
Jul 24


BOLO... for what? This is why people opt out.
One of the advantages of Wireless Emergency Alerts is their ability to alert people, without requiring them to opt in, and to do so in a...

Jeannette Sutton
Apr 27


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


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


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


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


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


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


Improving a message for water restrictions.
I love a simple message that uses plain language and is easy to read. But sometimes, the message is SO simple that it simply leaves out...

Jeannette Sutton
Aug 1, 2024


A revised law enforcement message that is complete and consistent
We've written about law enforcement messages in the past, showing how they can be "tricky" to write about because of the uncertainty of...

Jeannette Sutton
Apr 25, 2024


A concise law enforcement message
Law enforcement messaging is tricky. Do you include content about the nature of the law enforcement activity? Do you give details about...

Jeannette Sutton
Apr 18, 2024


The importance of plain language and instruction
Plain language makes it easier for the public to read, understand, and use government communications. Its wording, structure, and design...

Jeannette Sutton
Feb 1, 2024


Do NOT travel messaging in Winter Storms.
The December 2022 winter storm in New York affected more than just Erie County and the city of Buffalo. While Erie and Buffalo bore the...

Jeannette Sutton
Jan 18, 2024


5-Star Winter Storm Messaging
In 2022, Erie County and the city of Buffalo experienced a catastrophic winter storm at the height of the Christmas holiday, resulting in...

Jeannette Sutton
Jan 16, 2024


Bridge Closed - Find Alternate Route
We routinely see messages for roads that are closed using WEA. This is primarily within the states of Texas and Georgia and they are...

Jeannette Sutton
Dec 20, 2023


The Problem with ALL CAPS MESSAGES
Messages delivered in ALL CAPS have a problem. Writing in ALL CAPS may seem like a reasonable strategy to get people's attention...

Jeannette Sutton
Dec 13, 2023


Is it important to SHOUT and yell !!!!! in a Warning Message?
Wireless Emergency Alerts are designed to notify people of dangerous and imminent threats that require quick or immediate action. The...

Jeannette Sutton
Nov 29, 2023


A 5-Star Alert for a Missing Person
This missing person alert is a great example of how to write an actionable message with enough content that a receiver may be able to act...

Jeannette Sutton
Nov 25, 2023


Source, Hazard Description, Location, and Time: the importance of a complete message
Actionable alert and warning messages should contain 5 elements: the source, hazard (plus description), location, actionable guidance,...

Jeannette Sutton
Nov 22, 2023
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