WASHINGTON D.C., DC — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has coordinated with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct a nationwide emergency alert test this fall.
The test consists of two portions and is scheduled to begin at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 4. The two systems that will be tested are the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA).
The EAS test will be sent to radios and televisions. It will be the seventh time the test has taken place nationwide.
The WEA test will be sent to all cell phones and will be displayed in English or Spanish depending on the user's language settings. It will be the third nationwide test of the system, but the second time the test has been sent to all cellular devices.
The purpose of the test is to ensure the alert systems continue to be a reliable, effective way to warn the public about emergencies, particularly those on a national level.
Beginning at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET, cell towers will broadcast the WEA test for about 30 minutes. All WEA-compatible wireless phones that are on, in range of a cell tower and have a wireless provider who participates in WEA should receive the WEA alert message once.
The message will read:
“THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
Phones with the language set to Spanish will read:
“ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”
To ensure the alerts are accessible to the entire public, including people with disabilities, they're accompanied by a unique tone and vibration.
The EAS test is scheduled to last for approximately one minute. It will be conducted with the participation of radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers and wireline video providers.
The message will read:
“This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is required by the public."
If the test is postponed due to severe weather or other significant events, the backup testing date is Oct. 11.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and on your phone.
