Facebook launches alerts for local first responders

[Sean Donelan <sean () donelan com>]

Facebook announced its new Local Alerts feature. Potential uses include 
storm warnings and advisories for extreme temperatures, evacuations, road 
closures, active shooter situations, bomb threats, missing person reports, 
water main breaks and more. The aim is to keep its users “safe and 
in-the-know.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/08/27/facebook-launching-local-alerts-keep-you-safe-during-emergencies-including-severe-weather/

The Facebook Local Alerts appears to be a closed, walled-garden system, 
requiring local emergency managers to setup and maintain Facebook accounts.
Emergency managers have used multiple social media platforms for several 
years, but its always a bit hit&miss reaching the public using different 
platforms.


Smart assistants like Alexia, Google Assistant, Apple Siri or streaming 
services like Netflix and Hulu don't don't proactively provide local 
emergency alerts like Cable, TV and radio broadcasters.  If you need to 
ask Alexa if there is a tornado warning, you probably already know there 
is a tornado.