Color-coded alerts on the way out

The Homeland Security Department recommended to President Obama that the color-coded system be dropped.

The federal government’s color-coded “terror warning system’’ may soon disappear. The 8-year-old alert system, initiated by the Bush administration, has five levels of danger—ranging from red for “severe’’ to yellow for “elevated’’ to green for “low”—and has often been criticized for being too vague. The Homeland Security Department this week recommended to President Obama that the color-coded system be dropped. “The overall sense is that we can do a better job of helping inform the public,’’ said Transportation Security Administrator John Pistole. The color has stayed the same since 2006: yellow for the country as a whole, and orange for airports.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us