New York Attorney General Letitia James is leading a 19-member coalition, including New York City, in urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to publish a multilingual emergency alert rule. According to the Attorney General’s office, the FCC unanimously adopted the rule in January to expand alerts to 13 additional languages and American Sign Language, but the rule has not yet been published.
Last week’s floods in New York City, which caused two deaths, showed the need for better emergency messages for everyone. The coalition said, through the Attorney General’s office, that it might take legal action if the FCC does not release the rule within 30 days, after a ten-month delay. The new rule would help about 1.3 million New Yorkers who don’t speak English well and don’t speak Spanish.
In the U.S., most Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) are sent in English, with Spanish added only recently. The impact of Hurricane Ida in 2021, which killed 13 people in mainly non-English speaking neighborhoods, showed that the alert system didn’t reach everyone. Attorney General James and her team called on the FCC to act quickly and implement the Multilingual Alerts Order, which provides pre-translated emergency messages, as stated in her press release.
Advocates and government officials support this measure, recognizing the need for emergency messages that reach all communities, especially diverse areas like Queens that were affected by Hurricane Ida. NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol said, "Every day of delay is another day that millions of Americans are at risk," emphasizing the importance of quick action by the FCC. The coalition, including Attorney General James, is working across states to make sure life-saving information reaches more people, as noted in her press release.
The gap in emergency communication is both a safety and legal issue. FCC rules say new rules must be published in the Federal Register, which the coalition pointed out. Until this happens, wireless companies cannot start updating systems for alerts in multiple languages. This puts non-English-speaking and hearing-impaired people at greater risk during disasters. Groups like the New York Immigration Coalition and the Asian American Federation say the FCC needs to act to make emergency alerts better for everyone.
