[sbe-eas] Alachua County FL attempts to use WEA as highway gateway notification

[Sean Donelan]

During COVID, one state attempted to use geo-locate WEA alerts at state 
border crossings.  It did not work well, because cell phones kept 
re-alerting as travelers moved in and out of the many, mini-geofenced WEA 
alert boundaries. It generated public complaints about over-alerting.

Alachua County attempted to do the same thing with evacuees crossing 
highways around the borders of Alachua County, FL.

I admire the Alachua's EMA public service attempt, however the technology 
used for WEA phone geolocation doesn't work the way they think it does.

The IPAWS folks may have more technical advice.  My suggestion is use a 
single county-wide alert (or single large geo-fence) to alert mobile 
phones one time as they enter the geo-fenced boundary.  Not lots 
mini-geofences at each highway crossing.

You can see the WEA alerting map on warn.pbs.org around Gainesville, FL.