#FEMA News: #DHS officially scraps 2002 color-coded terror-alert system

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

#FEMA News: #DHS officially scraps 2002 color-coded terror-alert system

National Terrorism Advisory System

New terror alerts will be specific and short-lived, unlike the colors, the alerts will have expiration dates: "When a Threat develops We Will Tell You... or Not"

The new program, called the National Terrorism Advisory System, will go live April 26. Intelligence analysts from the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, and other government agencies will decide when to recommend a specific alert.

If she concurs, Ms. Napolitano will then make a public announcement, followed by detailed information on the Homeland Security website and alerts disseminated through social-media sites.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says the color-coded terror alert system will be replaced next week by two warnings — Elevated and Imminent.

The new DHS and FEMA warnings could be conveyed to the public through Facebook and Twitter. Unlike the colors, the alerts will have expiration dates.

Napolitano says the threat picture in the U.S. is currently at an "elevated baseline," and future public warnings will hinge on specific and credible intelligence above and beyond that threshold.

She says the terror threat to the U.S. is at its highest since 9/11 because of the increasing number and types of international and homegrown threats. This does not mean there is a specific threat of an imminent attack.

Official #DHS Statement:

The National Terrorism Advisory System, or NTAS, replaces the color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS).

This new system will more effectively communicate information about terrorist threats by providing timely, detailed information to the public, government agencies, first responders, airports and other transportation hubs, and the private sector.
It recognizes that Americans all share responsibility for the nation's security, and should always be aware of the heightened risk of terrorist attack in the United States and what they should do.

Learn more:

Action Center:

NTAS Alerts via Email
NTAS Alerts via Facebook
NTAS Alerts via Twitter
NTAS for your website Data feeds, web widgets and graphics

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Wednesday, April 20, 2011