Editing Emergency population warning (section)

{{Short description|Warning issued by authorities to the public en masse}}
[[File:Public warning system, Dresden. Electronic sirens by Telegrafia.jpg|thumb|Public warning system siren in Dresden, Germany]]
An '''emergency population warning''', or '''public warning system''' is a method where by local, regional, or national authorities can contact or notify members of the public to warn them of an impending emergency. These warnings may be necessary for a number of reasons, including:

* Weather emergencies such as [[Cyclone|cyclones]], [[Flood|flooding]], [[tornado]]es, [[Avalanche|avalanches]] and severe weather.
* Geological disasters such as [[earthquake]]s, [[landslide]]s, [[volcanic eruption]]s, and [[tsunami]]s.
* Industrial disasters such as the release of toxic [[gas]] or contamination of [[river]] water.
* Radiological disasters such as a [[nuclear meltdown|nuclear plant disaster]].
* Medical emergencies such as an outbreak of a fast-moving [[infectious disease]] or [[pandemic]].
* [[Warfare]] such as [[Airstrike|air raids]] or acts of [[terrorism]].
* Other events, such as [[prison escape]]s, [[AMBER Alert|abducted children]] or [[emergency telephone number]] outages.
They are often disseminated during urgent events such as [[Emergency evacuation|evacuations]] or where a severe threat to life is expected.
[[File:National Weather Service Emergency Alert on an iPhone - Tornado Warning.jpg|thumb|A [[Cell Broadcast]] message received on a mobile phone, warning of a weather event, through a [[Wireless Emergency Alerts|Wireless Emergency Alert]] in the US.]]
Common alerting methods include [[Siren (alarm)|sirens]], [[Radio broadcasting|radio]], [[television]], local media, telephone, [[SMS]] and [[Cell Broadcast]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Párraga Niebla |first=Cristina |title=8 - Design Aspects in Multi-channel Public Warning Systems |date=2016-01-01 |work=Wireless Public Safety Networks 2 |pages=227–261 |editor-last=Câmara |editor-first=Daniel |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9781785480522500086 |access-date=2024-12-12 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-1-78548-052-2 |last2=Mulero Chaves |first2=Javier |last3=De Cola |first3=Tomaso |editor2-last=Nikaein |editor2-first=Navid}}</ref>