If you were in New York City on Tuesday night, that strange noise coming from your smartphone at about 8:55 p.m. was an alert about the imminent road closure. Due to the severe blizzard blanketing the city in snow, the streets would close to everything but emergency vehicles at 11 p.m.
This is the wireless emergency alert (WEA) system at work. WEAs take advantage of the ubiquity of smartphones to alert people about emergencies. The alerts come in from federal agencies or local governments, and all the major carriers push them through to their subscribers at no cost.
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