In about a month, a massive nationwide test of the emergency alert system (EAS) will be carried out by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The test, according to the agencies, will be sent out to every television, every radio, and cellphone in the United States on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 2:20 p.m. ET. What it means is that across the United States, television shows or commercials will be interrupted, radio programming will be stopped, and phones will receive the alert message.
It will likely blare out the familiar electronic warning sound. The alert will also state via cellphones: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” A Spanish-language version of the alert will also be used.
Cellphones will be sent a test alert message as long as the device is “switched on, within range of an active cell tower, and whose wireless provider participates in WEA,” or wireless emergency alerts. WEAs are described as emergency messages “that are sent directly to your phone by authorized government alerting authorities through your mobile carrier,” including FEMA, the FCC, state agencies, and the U.S. National Weather Service.
“All wireless phones should receive the message only once,” the bulletin said. “The following can be expected from the nationwide WEA test: Beginning at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET, cell towers will broadcast the test for approximately 30 minutes. During this time, WEA-compatible wireless phones that are switched on, within range of an active cell tower, and whose wireless provider participates in WEA, should be capable of receiving the test message.”
On a TV or radio, October’s alert will last approximately a minute. An alert sound will blare, and then it feature the “familiar” message: “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,” according to the agencies.
