I'll be perfectly honest. I'd turn this alert system off about 3 alerts in just as I did for everything but the Amber alert system. At least for amber alerts when I'm driving, there's the hope I could do something about it, but for almost everything else it's just a sudden alarm that wakes me up and has no bearing on my immediate needs or safety.

I say this as someone who was working at the Washington Navy Yard during the 2013 shooting.

Here's how the alerts went for me:

1. I went out of the office to pick up some bagels for my coworkers.
2. I get a text from my coworker to stay out, there was a shooter.
3. I go to a nearby pub to wait and see what the news says.
4. After I reach the pub I finally get the "giant voice"/ Commander Navy Installation Command (if you've been on a navy base you know this one) message to tell me that there was an active incident.

There was such a huge delay, it didn't tell me anything other than what my coworkers already told me and on greater detail.

I certainly wasn't supposed to go there any do anything, and word of mouth got around the people there much faster than anything going up through official channels and back down.

Something like an apple airdrop functionality that messages everyone within 1/4 mile would probably get the message out to the people who need to know quickly.