A national test of emergency alerts will cause phones, televisions and radios to sound with alert tones next month.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts system on Oct. 4. The tests will be conducted in conjunction with the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, the agencies said in a news release.
The national test will consist of two portions, testing Wireless Emergency Alerts, or WEA, and the Emergency Alert System, or EAS. Both tests are set to begin at about 2:20 p.m. Oct. 4.
Both FEMA and the FCC are coordinating with EAS participants, wireless providers, emergency managers and other stakeholders in preparation for the Oct. 4 test to minimize confusion and to maximize the public safety value of the test. The purpose of test is to ensure that the alert systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level, according to the news release.
The WEA portion of the test will be directed to all consumer cell phones. Messaging will display in either English or Spanish, depending on the language settings of the device, the news release says.
All wireless phones should receive the WEA message only once. Once the alert activation is sent, cell towers will broadcast the test for approximately 30 minutes. All WEA-compatible wireless phones that are switched on, within range of an active cell tower and whose wireless provider participates in WEA, should receive the test message, federal officials said.
For consumers with devices set to English, the message that appears on their phones will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” A message with similar wording will appear in Spanish for those with that set as the display language, according to the news release.
The EAS part of the national test will be sent to radios and TVs, and is scheduled to last about one minute. It will be conducted with the participation of radio and TV broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and TV providers and wireline video providers, according to the news release.
The test message will be similar to the regular monthly EAS test messages. The Oct. 4 test’s message will say: “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.”
Federal officials say this will be the third nationwide test of the WEA system, but the second test to all cellular devices. For the EAS, the October test will be the seventh nationwide test.
In case the Oct. 4 test is postponed due to widespread severe weather or other significant events, the back-up testing date is Oct. 11.
