Ever worried about missing a terrorist threat alert? Your problems may be over soon – that is unless the threat is real.

The AP reports that it’s obtained a Homeland Security document, which (among other things) says that Facebook and Twitter will be used to help spread terror alerts in the U.S. under a new system that would replace the the color-coded system introduced by the Bush Administration.

Both Facebook and Twitter have a lot of users in the U.S. Given the Obama Administration’s frequent use of social media since the presidential campaign and throuhgout the presidency, it’s not that surprising that these channels would be used to spread such messages.

While the idea of an alert system has been criticized in general, there’s no denying that Facebook and Twitter are powerful tools for pushing messages. I wonder if there will be an opt-in email list. People are less likely to miss their email alerts than they are a status update or a tweet.

There is no mention of email in the report.

Another benefit of email would be notifications. My phone doesn’t let me miss an email, but it certainly doesn’t alert me every time the White House tweets. Maybe if the alerts came through direct messages – which would alert me by email.

The new alert system is reportedly expected to be coming April 27.