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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.


Be On The Lookout... help us search
There are many ways to indicate to a community that there is a need to help find a missing person. Risk communicators can choose to use...

Jeannette Sutton
Apr 22, 2024


Surf's UP, but stay OUT.
There's a lot of good things to say about this message sent by the Office of Response, Recovery, and Resilience; but there are also a few...

Jeannette Sutton
Jan 12, 2024


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


Does sending a WEA reduce call volume?
Every once in a while, The Warn Room will see a WEA that appears to have been issued with the intent of reducing traffic to a local 911...

Jeannette Sutton
Nov 13, 2023


Message Content Order Can Affect Readability and Action
Wireless Emergency Alerts are typically sent during periods of imminent threat, where emotions are heightened and information seeking...

Jeannette Sutton
Nov 9, 2023


A Clear, Concise HazMat Message
This message includes the contents that motivate people to act and does so in a clear and concise manner. It provides information about...

Jeannette Sutton
Oct 28, 2023


Creating internal consistency across messages
Three messages sent from 11:41 pm to 4:55 am in one night. While its uncommon to find multiple messages issued over the course of the...

Jeannette Sutton
Sep 30, 2023


Content order can affect readability.
Did you know that social scientists investigated the best order of WEA message contents? They did! And it looks something like the...

Jeannette Sutton
Sep 23, 2023


**Evacuation Warning** but for flash flood
(click image to enlarge) WEA issued in advance of #Hilary for the CA desert The folks at the Editor's Desk have written a LOT about the...

Jeannette Sutton
Aug 27, 2023


LCFD NYPD UALB... the problem with acronyms
Source information is important, y'all! While clearly there are constraints that come with a 90 character WEA, when you have the full 360...

Jeannette Sutton
May 4, 2023


Water disruption
Thoughts on message consistency and WEA. Message consistency is a popular topic among risk communicators in the severe weather space. ...

Jeannette Sutton
Feb 26, 2023


Brushfire
To the left (click image to enlarge), we include the original 90-character WEA and a revised 272-character WEA. The first message on the...

Jeannette Sutton
Feb 19, 2023


Incomplete & confusing messages cause more confusion
WEA sent 12/15/2022 Wireless Emergency Alerts frequently serve as the channel to reach populations in "the last mile," that is, those who...

Jeannette Sutton
Dec 15, 2022
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