Oklahomans Surprised By Early Morning Wireless Emergency Alert

When an Amber Alert was sent out for an 8-month-old girl early Friday morning, thousands of Oklahomans received a message on their phones in the middle of the night.

It was one of the first implementations of a new program, expected to play a pivotal role in an emergency.

Many people we talked to said they woke up to a loud alarm they'd never heard before.

"I thought it was my alarm at 2 o'clock this morning," said Tulsa resident Denai Larkin.

Larkin said she had trouble going back to sleep after receiving one of the state's first Wireless Emergency Alerts. But she understands how important the new technology can be.

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"Since it did wake me up, it was kinda frustrating, but I do like to be notified of situations," Larkin said.

The message was part of a nationwide effort put in motion by the FCC and FEMA in 2012. They've teamed up with wireless carriers to inform specific areas of an ongoing emergency.

"It's just one of those deals, right there at two in the morning. Maybe they can do it location-specific to start. If they don't find them after that, then broaden it out," said this Henryetta resident Brad Sly.

Situations like the one in Grove begin with local law enforcement, who contact Oklahoma's Amber Alert Coordinator, Gene Thaxton.

The message is then relayed to the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children, which sends the information to mobile providers.

"The cellular companies provide any cellular users, throughout the state of Oklahoma in going to get that information," Thaxton said.

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There are three types of emergency situations that fall under this new program: Any alerts issued by the President of the United States, weather alerts issued by the National Weather Service, and Amber Alerts.

"It's a critical project, and it works very well for us," Thaxton said.

The alerts are free and provided by most carriers and are already on most phones. Depending on what type of phone you have, you can have the Wireless Emergency Alerts turned on.

In order to have them turned off, you have to contact your mobile provider, but you will still receive the presidential alerts.