What is WEA? Here's what to know about NC's emergency alert system.

Many North Carolina residents received unexpected notifications on their mobile devices July 25 with the attached text "Activate WEA in Region 6." This morning, many residents have questions.

The alert referred to a child abduction in Durham. The missing child, Geon King-Parriett, was last seen July 25. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provided the following description of King-Parriett:

"The Durham Police Department is searching for Geon King. Geon King-Parriett is a 9 year old Black male, approximately 4 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 100 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a black hoodie and black sweatpants. The abductor, Mariah King, is described as a 43 year old Black female, 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing 140 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes wearing grey sweatpants and a black crop top. Her hair was styled in a bun with a ponytail. They were last seen at 202 S. Benjamine St on foot."

If you have any information regarding this abduction, call the Durham police Department immediately at 919-560-4427 or call 911 or star HP.

While this WEA notified the public of an Amber Alert - an alert referring to a missing person, usually a child - not all WEAs are the same. Here's what to know about the different types of alerts, how they work and more.

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What is a WEA?

The NC Department of Public Safety explains what WEAs are used for. In short, WEAs allow public safety officials to send important warnings directly to mobile devices in affected areas.

WEAs are broadcast to all phones within range of designated cell towers, rather than being sent directly to individual phone numbers like text messages. Older phone models may not receive WEAs - contact your cell provider to learn whether or not your phone will give you the alerts.

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What does WEA stand for?

WEA stands for Wireless Emergency Alert.

What triggers a WEA?

The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System allows federal, state, local, tribal and territorial alerting authorities to transmit messages to affected areas using the Emergency Alert System, WEA alerts, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other public alerting systems from one interface.

There are also regular monthly tests of the EAS. Remaining tests in N.C. scheduled for 2024 include:

• Aug. 13 - State EOC
• Sept. 17 - WQDR-FM
• Oct. 15 - State EOC
• Nov. 13 - NC Center for Missing Persons
• Dec. 12 - State EOC

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What are the four types of emergency alerts?

There are several different types of WEAs, all covering critical emergency situations. The four types of alerts include:

1. "National Alerts" issued by the President of the United States or the Administrator of FEMA.
2. "Imminent Threat" alerts involving imminent threats to safety or life.
3. "Amber Alerts" about missing children.
4. "Public Safety Messages" conveying recommendations for saving lives and property.

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Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: What is WEA? Here's what to know about NC's emergency alert system.