However, these messages lacked orders for specific locations to evacuate—a decision that is up to local officials. Complex Systems: Chances are that everyone reading this has received some sort of weather alert in recent years. But even locals don’t always take part: A recent report by scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder found that just four of every 10 Colorado residents have opted to receive local emergency alerts. But many local government emergency offices don’t have the resources or expertise to translate their own weather and evacuation alerts. There’s no federal policy guiding local officials on how to send emergency alerts, who should receive them and what they ought to say.