Get ready for a nationwide emergency alert system test today. The US Federal Communications Commission and Federal Emergency Management Agency are conducting trials on Wednesday, Oct. 4 to test their emergency alert systems across the country.
The Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system for phones is being tested simultaneously with the Emergency Alert System (EAS) for TVs and radios. This is the seventh nationwide EAS test and the second test that includes all cellular devices in the US.
Here’s what you need to know about today’s test. At around 2:20 p.m. ET/11:20 a.m. PT, cell towers will start broadcasting an emergency alert for 30 minutes. If your phone is within range of a cell tower, you will receive a message stating: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
The alerts will be in English or Spanish, depending on your phone’s language settings. The phone alerts will include a unique tone and vibration to ensure accessibility.
For TVs and radios, the alert will last for 1 minute and will state: “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 there is a severe weather event or other emergency on Oct. 4, the test will be postponed until Oct. 11.
The types of WEA and EAS alerts that could be sent to you in real emergency situations include public safety alerts, AMBER alerts for child-abduction crises, and presidential alerts for national emergencies.
There are also alerts sent for imminent threats such as extreme weather and natural disasters from the National Weather Service, active shooters, human-made disasters, blue alerts for attacks on law enforcement officers, and other threatening emergencies.
It’s important to note that WEA messages are unaffected by network congestion.
