A system for sending an effective warning signal to receivers in a predetermined
area. A transmitter, activated by a local authority, sends a severe weather warning
signal to a plurality of receivers. Cities or counties within the predetermined
area are divided into subdivisions thereof called sectors, each of which represents
an area that is selectively addressable by the transmitter. Each of the receivers
has a programmable sector code which has been programmed according to the location
of the home or office in which it is placed. When activated, the transmitter sends
radio frequency warning signals which contain digitally encoded information indicating
the sector to which the warning applies. Upon receiving the warning signal, each
receiver that has been programmed with the sector code being transmitted responds
by generating an audible alert or other warning signal. In one embodiment, the
transmitter sending the warning signal is connected to, and activated by, the same
mechanism that activates a corresponding warning siren.