NYC cell users to get emergency alerts

Cell phone users in New York City will be among the first with access to a federal emergency text message service that sends alerts -- including from the White House -- warning of terrorism, tornadoes or other potential threats, officials said Tuesday.

The free service is an update of the Emergency Alert System that takes into account the expanding use of cellphones nationwide. The service will begin in New York City and Washington by the end of the year, officials said in Manhattan Tuesday.

"We ask the public when they see something, say something. Now with this system, when government knows something, it can say something," said New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. "It can do it quickly and it can do it to millions of people."

New Yorkers with enabled phones are automatically signed up for the service, called the Personal Localized Alerting Network, or PLAN. They may opt out of receiving all but the presidential alerts, said Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski, who also said authorities "don't expect the alerts to be frequent."

The alerts will contain 90 characters or less. The messages will be geographically targeted, sent from cell phone towers to specific, affected areas. If a Long Islander, for example, happens to be in a New York City neighborhood endangered by a potential threat, he or she will receive a text alert.

Nassau and Suffolk counties already have popular emergency-alert systems for cell phones that residents must sign up for, but officials said they're eager to add a federal component. "This is something we'll explore," said Brian Nevin, spokesman for Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano.