TPT Now

06/23/2026

Know When and Where To Go During A Wildfire

Being prepared and knowing when and where to go means you have a wildfire-ready kit or go-bag, which could include the following (based on your needs):

-Phones and laptops (with chargers)
- 3-day supply of non-perishable food (with utensils) and 3 gallons of water per person
- P100 or N95 masks to protect yourself from smoke inhalation and gas-phase toxins from wildfires
- Map with at least two evacuation routes
- Change of clothes and extra eyeglasses/contact lenses
- First aid kit, medicine/prescriptions, and sanitation supplies (including for babies and young children)
- If you have children: toys, and other comforting items
- If you have pets: food, water, and medicine
- Specific items needed for people with disabilities
- Pictures, essential documents (such as passports), and irreplaceable items
- Flashlights and a battery-powered radio with extra batteries
- Cash, credit cards, and ATM cards
- Extra car keys/fobs

Learn more at weather.gov/safety/wildfire

06/23/2026

If cell signals aren’t strong, you can text 911; or when silence keeps you safer when you’re in an emergency, don’t call - text 911. Deaf and hard of hearing individuals also benefit from text to 911. Again, you can text 911 if it’s safer to stay quiet during an emergency rather than calling 911.

Want to stay safe and discreet in an emergency? With help from TPT Now , learn how texting 911 works—check out the link in the comments.

06/10/2026

If you're unsure of when to text 911 in an emergency if you are unable to call, keep in mind these best case scenarios of when texting 911 works best:

- The reporting party cannot speak while a crime is in progress.
- The reporting party must remain quiet to stay safe.
- If speaking may cause harm, such as in a home invasion, domestic violence, or human trafficking situation.
- If the reporting party encounters a suicidal or agitated person.
- If peer pressure is strong.
- If the reporting party is deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or has a speech impairment.

Learn more at dps.mn.gov/text-911

06/04/2026

Did you know you can text 911 in an emergency?

Text-to-911 is available to all Minnesotans when calling isn't safe or possible. Learn more at dps.mn.gov/text-911.

Graphics provided in English, Spanish, Hmong, Somali, and Russian.

06/03/2026

🔊June 3rd is siren test day! First Wednesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. Remember, outdoor warning sirens are meant to be heard by those working or playing outside.
WEA Live Testing at noon in Chanhassen today, Hanover on June 10th, Rockford on June 12th, and St. Anthony on June 24th.

06/03/2026

Follow these simple tips to stay safe when there is an air quality alert:

- Stay Informed. Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or your favorite weather news station
- Stay inside if possible, particularly if you have respiratory concerns or other health problems, are a senior or child
- If you must go out, try to limit the amount of time you are out to strictly essential activities
- Minimize your use of items that increase pollution, such as cars, gas powered lawn mowers and other vehicles
- Do not burn debris or other items during an air quality alert

Learn more at weather.gov/safety/airquality

Graphics provided in English, Spanish, Hmong, and Somali languages.

06/02/2026

"In urgent moments, language access can mean the difference between safety and uncertainty. Through services like TPT Now, emergency alerts, public health updates, and community resources can reach more people in the languages they use every day. When critical information is only available in English, access is uneven by default."

Check out Social Media Manager Sabrina Fluegel's full reflection in the article linked in the comments!

What does it mean to be fully understood?

In a recent reflection for Twin Cities PBS, Social Media Manager Sabrina Fluegel explores a force that shapes our daily lives, our communities, and our sense of belonging: language.

Language is more than communication. It influences who can access information, who feels included, and who has the power to move through the world with confidence.

In urgent moments, language access can mean the difference between safety and uncertainty. Through services like TPT Now, emergency alerts, public health updates, and community resources can reach more people in the languages they use every day. When critical information is only available in English, access is uneven by default.

But language is also where culture lives.

It carries stories, histories, music, memory, and ways of knowing passed across generations. It shows up in Indigenous language revitalization, bilingual educational programming, American Sign Language, multilingual storytelling, and the everyday ways families and communities care for one another.

Through programs like Sound Field, SciGirls, Muslim Sheroes of Minnesota, and Profe: La Lucha Sigue, we see language not as an afterthought — but as part of the story itself.

At its core, Twin Cities PBS’s Voices Rising is about more than being heard. It’s about who has the power to be understood on their own terms.

In Minnesota, our voices rise in many languages.

To read Sabrina's full reflection, visit the link in the comments.

05/29/2026

Know the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning? Learn more about each and what to do when an alert is issued at weather.gov/safety/tornado

05/28/2026

Text to 911 is an alternative option to calling 911 when calling isn't safe or possible.

When texting 911, make sure to text your exact location, answer all the dispatchers questions, and avoid texting pictures or emojis.

Learn more at dps.mn.gov/text-911

05/26/2026

Make sure you always have several ways to receive tornado alerts during tornado season. Learn more at weather.gov/safety/tornado