Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff’’ bipartisan bill to strengthen emergency alerts during natural disasters is now law.
Today the President signed into law Sens. Ossoff and John Cornyn (R-TX)’s bipartisan Mystic Alerts Act to improve distribution of wireless emergency alerts (WEA).
In August, Sens. Ossoff and Cornyn introduced the bipartisan bill to enable emergency alerts to be delivered via satellite communications technologies when other systems fail during emergencies, including natural disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires, and floods.
The bipartisan bill comes after last year’s devastating flood in Central Texas that killed over 100 people, where it was later reported residents did not receive emergency alerts after cellular infrastructure was damaged.
“When storms, disasters, or threats to public safety threaten our state, crisis management is key. Our bipartisan law will help upgrade America’s emergency alert systems to keep Georgia families safe and informed,” Sen. Ossoff said.
“More than 130 people were tragically killed in the July 4th floods that ravaged Central Texas last year, many of whom did not receive emergency alerts due to compromised cellular networks that were knocked out by the storm,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This law will address this technology shortfall and honor the memory of those lost by ensuring Texans and all Americans can receive wireless emergency alerts on their mobile devices via satellite even when disaster strikes, and I appreciate President Trump signing it into law.”
Sen. Ossoff continues working to strengthen public safety.
This year, Sen. Ossoff brought Republicans and Democrats together to deliver $175,000 in Federal funding to help upgrade the Spalding County Sheriff Office’s helicopter rescue infrastructure after the County experienced difficulties in emergency response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock brought Republicans and Democrats together to help establish a central law enforcement command center in Norcross.
Also, this year, Sen. Ossoff brought Republicans and Democrats together to deliver $1,031,000 in Federal funding to help the Conyers Police Department strengthen emergency response efforts by purchasing new portable radios and a Mobile Command Vehicle.
In 2023, Sen. Ossoff delivered new resources through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to construct a new hurricane and tornado safe room on Tybee Island, providing a safe area for emergency personnel who must remain on the Island during hurricanes and other disaster situations.
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