A BePrepared Solutions report series
Alert Pulse
Each month we look at the emergency alerts sent across the United States and what happened behind them: the floods, fires, storms and evacuations, where they hit, and what they cost.
Free 7-day trial: the Alert Pulse for your own ZIPNo card. It ends on its own.Every edition counts distinct warnings rather than the messages that repeat them, excludes tests, reports times in the local hour each alert was sent, and publishes what the data cannot answer alongside what it can. The figures are downloadable and free to cite.
Latest edition
Weekly report · Oct 19 – 25, 2026 · Published Oct 27, 2026
Floods and a tornado hit the Southwest as overwash closes Hatteras roads
Flooding drove families from homes across the Four Corners and Socorro County. In Arizona, a tornado injured a bicyclist; on Hatteras Island, damaged pavement brought emergency ferries.
3,742 distinct warnings · 1,735 counties
Monthly reports
Monthly report · October 2026 · Published Nov 3, 2026
Floods stranded Plains drivers as tornadoes damaged North Carolina homes
October flooding forced boat evacuations and road closures across the Plains. In Raleigh, a homeowner said a phone warning sent him to shelter before part of his roof collapsed.
15,623 distinct warnings · 3,650 counties
Monthly report · September 2026 · Published Oct 1, 2026
Floods displaced Texans and New Mexicans as tornadoes damaged western New York
September flooding brought boat rescues, evacuations and disrupted care in Texas and New Mexico. In western New York, tornado surveys documented damaged homes, trees and a park pavilion.
24,439 distinct warnings · 3,757 counties
Monthly report · August 2026 · Published Sep 22, 2026
Floods, fires and storms disrupt homes and roads across the United States
August flooding forced Ohio evacuations and damaged Utah homes. Oregon fires closed roads and brought shelters into service, while Maryland storms displaced residents and cut power.
37,931 distinct warnings · 3,752 counties
Monthly report · July 2026 · Published Aug 15, 2026
Heat, floods, and fire hit tens of millions in July 2026
A heat wave covered more than 100 million people. Flash floods killed people in West Virginia and Texas. Wildfires pushed families out of homes across the Pacific Northwest.
42,499 distinct warnings · 3,755 counties
Weekly reports
Weekly report · Oct 12 – 18, 2026 · Published Oct 20, 2026
Fires damage Orange County homes as storms hit the Plains and Outer Banks
Residents left homes in Southern California and visitors were ordered off Hatteras Island. Across the Plains, storms interrupted electricity, flooded roads and damaged buildings.
3,730 distinct warnings · 3,078 counties
Weekly report · Oct 5 – 11, 2026 · Published Oct 13, 2026
Isaias damages the Southeast as floods and fires displace Californians
Storms damaged homes and left prolonged outages across the Southeast, while surf, flooding and fires displaced Californians. Officials and news organizations reported storm-related deaths in Florida and Alabama.
3,610 distinct warnings · 2,218 counties
Weekly report · Sep 28 – Oct 4, 2026 · Published Oct 6, 2026
Fire burns near Touchet as floods hit the Southwest and Plains
Evacuation orders near Touchet reached beyond the intended area. Flood emergencies in New Mexico and Kansas, confirmed Kansas tornadoes and California heat forecasts brought different instructions for residents.
4,143 distinct warnings · 2,178 counties
Weekly report · Sep 21 – 27, 2026 · Published Sep 28, 2026
Flooding displaces Ohio families and closes California desert roads
Ohio families needed shelter and water rescues, while debris blocked California desert roads. New Mexico communities were told to seek higher ground, but no toll could be sourced for that flooding.
4,620 distinct warnings · 2,215 counties
Weekly report · Sep 14 – 20, 2026 · Published Sep 22, 2026
Floods bring deaths in New Mexico and evacuations in Minnesota
Flooding forced rescues and displaced residents across the Southwest and Midwest. Kansas officials reported wind damage, while students in Rexburg, Idaho, helped bail out flooded apartments.
6,071 distinct warnings · 2,817 counties
State reports
Kentucky · Weekly report · Sep 21 – 27, 2026 · Published Oct 1, 2026
Flooding displaces families and damages homes in eastern Kentucky
Harlan County residents needed overnight rescues as floodwater damaged homes, roads and water lines. Crews restored service while volunteers helped families clean up, and later flooding brought fresh warnings.
195 distinct warnings · 102 counties
North Carolina · Weekly report · Sep 21 – 27, 2026 · Published Oct 1, 2026
Ocean overwash cuts Hatteras road access as storms hit North Carolina
Damaged pavement left Hatteras Island dependent on emergency ferries. Inland, storms brought down trees and a power line, while floodwaters later receded in part of Bertie County.
245 distinct warnings · 115 counties
New Jersey · Weekly report · Sep 21 – 27, 2026 · Published Sep 28, 2026
Jersey Shore flooding forces motel rescues and closes roads
Floodwater entered rooms, trapped drivers and cut off roads along the Jersey Shore. Residents faced evacuations and businesses faced cleanup, while WHYY reported no New Jersey deaths by Sunday.
65 distinct warnings · 46 counties
Texas · Weekly report · Sep 21 – 27, 2026 · Published Sep 30, 2026
Flooding enters El Paso homes and closes West Texas roads
Residents faced flooded apartments and damaged streets in El Paso. Later flooding required a vehicle rescue in Hudspeth County and closed roads across the Panhandle and South Plains.
480 distinct warnings · 203 counties
New Jersey · Monthly report · August 2026 · Published Sep 22, 2026
Floods displaced students and a tornado touched down in New Jersey
August flooding entered homes, disrupted Rowan's move-in day and washed out a highway, according to university officials and news reports. Near Estell Manor, investigators found no damage definitively attributable to a brief tornado.
375 distinct warnings · 53 counties
Virginia · Monthly report · August 2026 · Published Sep 22, 2026
Floods and falling trees damaged homes and closed roads across Virginia
August flooding cut off Patrick County residents, while storms damaged homes and closed roads and parks elsewhere in Virginia. Recovery continued after the warnings ended.
1,157 distinct warnings · 266 counties