Not All WeHa Residents Received Tornado Alerts Over Weekend

Town of West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT — West Hartford had not one, but two, separate tornado warnings over the weekend, and it became clear that not everyone got alerts about warnings on their phones.

Monday, the Town of West Hartford's emergency management department clarified the situation and explained why some received the notifications and others didn't.

Ultimately, no twisters touched down Saturday or Sunday, when West Hartford was included in two separate tornado warnings, but the communications situation did cause some to fret.

"On Saturday, June 22, 2024, around 3:30 p.m., and Sunday, June 23, 2024, at 5:50 p.m., the National Weather Service sent a tornado warning to cell phones in the West Hartford area," wrote the town.

"Some residents have reported not receiving these warnings and wondered why."

According to local emergency officials, the National Weather Service sends out Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) during threats of extreme weather.

This, officials said, is an emergency message sent out by authorized governmental agencies through mobile carriers.

"No sign-ups are required, as these are sent automatically to WEA-capable phones," wrote the town.

" These alerts are sent to cell towers in the area where the emergency is occurring, and all cell phones in that area will receive them."

But there are instances when folks won't receive these alerts, such as:

• They were not physically in West Hartford.

• They have a phone that is not equipped to receive WEA alerts.

• They were making a phone call (the alert will not override a conversation)

• The phone was in the “Do Not Disturb “setting.

• Some cell phones come with WEA turned off, or users have turned them off. Users should check their phones to make sure that emergency notifications are enabled.

For more information about Wireless Emergency Alerts, visit https://www.ready.gov/alerts. West Hartford officials said Wireless Emergency Alerts are separate from the State of Connecticut’s CT Alert and West Hartford's Community Advisory Notification System. Residents should be sure to sign up for these state and local alerts by going to https://portal.ct.gov/ctalert and https://www.westhartfordct.gov/how-do-i-2/get-notified.