MnDOT to start using FEMA alert system for major crashes, closures

Minnesota will soon start sending emergency alerts to residents’ phones for major crashes and road closures.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) says it now has a deal with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to use wireless emergency alerts through the agency’s Integrated Public Alert & Warning System. That’s the same alert system that is used for notifications like AMBER Alerts.

MnDOT says the alert system allows agencies to send notifications directly to mobile devices without the user needing to download an app or subscribe to any service.

In MnDOT’s case, it will allow the department to tell travelers if an interstate or state highway is closed due to weather or a major crash.

“The ability to send WEA messages through IPAWS is an important additional tool for MnDOT to provide real-time information to the traveling public,” MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger said. “Road closures can occur suddenly, especially in cases of severe weather or major crashes on the highway system. With WEA messages, MnDOT will be able to send immediate mobile alerts to people in the vicinity of a highway closure or detour – helping minimize motorists on roadways during winter conditions and aiding law enforcement and emergency personnel in responding to incidents quickly.”

The department says it plans to only send emergency alerts if a closure of more than four hours is expected, and they will only be sent to phones within a one-mile band around the highway, beginning 10 miles ahead of any closure location, unless a larger area is deemed necessary.

Other states like Pennsylvania, Georgia and Texas have already used the service for similar purposes, MnDOT says, and local county sheriff’s offices also have authority to use the system.

MnDOT says its alerts will typically include a link to 511mn.org in its alerts to provide more information on each incident.