Posted on 10/03/2023 10:52:03 PM PDT by ransomnote
Release Date Release Number August 3, 2023 HQ-23-124 Release Date:August 3, 2023Test Messages Will be Sent to All TVs, Radios and Cell Phones
WASHINGTON -- FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) this fall.
The national test will consist of two portions, testing WEA and EAS capabilities. Both tests are scheduled to begin at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 4.
The WEA portion of the test will be directed to all consumer cell phones. This will be the third nationwide test, but the second test to all cellular devices. The test message will display in either English or in Spanish, depending on the language settings of the wireless handset.
The EAS portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions. This will be the seventh nationwide EAS test.
FEMA and the FCC are coordinating with EAS participants, wireless providers, emergency managers and other stakeholders in preparation for this national test to minimize confusion and to maximize the public safety value of the test.
The purpose of the Oct. 4 test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level. 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.
The WEA portion of the test will be initiated using FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), a centralized internet-based system administered by FEMA that enables authorities to send authenticated emergency messages to the public through multiple communications networks. The WEA test will be administered via a code sent to cell phones.
This year the EAS message will be disseminated as a Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) message via the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System-Open Platform for Emergency Networks (IPAWS-OPEN).
All wireless phones should receive the message only once. 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.
- For consumers, the message that appears on their phones will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
- Phones with the main menu set to Spanish will display: “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”
WEA alerts are created and sent by authorized federal, state, local, tribal and territorial government agencies through IPAWS to participating wireless providers, which deliver the alerts to compatible handsets in geo-targeted areas. To help ensure that these alerts are accessible to the entire public, including people with disabilities, the alerts are accompanied by a unique tone and vibration.
Important information about the EAS test:
- The EAS portion of the test is scheduled to last approximately one minute and will be conducted with the participation of radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers and wireline video providers.
- The test message will be similar to the regular monthly EAS test messages with which the public is familiar. It 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.
The battery on my phone just died, oops!
I don’t see people falling over due to 5g concerns.
I don’t see panicking, burning tires, riots and looting in the streets so I guess we’re okay.
Yep..... sure enough.
Nah.... it’s just a test to see how many passwords they can pilfer from people powering up their phones after the alert.
I got a Presidential Alert message on my phone. It was in Spanish and I don’t know Spanish.
Hawaii had a false-alarm missile alert a few years back - the system worked then. During the fires, nothing/no one worked properly in Hawaii.
I never got the alert today, and my phone is turned on. Looks like having turned off all the alerts in my settings, worked.
I never got that alert in 2018. I know because my phone is always on, but all alerts are turned off. I live in the eastern time zone. I received no alert from the government today either.
Some reasons why you may not have gotten it:
Older phones may also not be compatible with Wireless Emergency Alerts, or WEA. Verizon has a list of phone models that are new enough to receive and display the alerts. For iPhones, for example, you’ll need an iPhone 4 or later to get any sort of alert. iPhones XR and later work with the latest version of WEA, which has improved geographic targeting in case of a real emergency.
If your cell coverage is from a smaller provider, they may also have opted out. “Some providers do not participate in WEA and will not transmit the national test,” FEMA says.
I have an iPhone 5S, and didn't get it.
I never got a message
ATT
Samsung S22 Ultra
Forgot to say I have Verizon cell service too, but still didn’t get it.
Weren’t they in the middle of a hurricane level wind and storm at the time. Probably some of the warning sirens had been disabled by that time. Also, the fires in the outskirts had probably disrupted communications wires.
I had been watching the Bold and the Beautiful in the MD, VA, DC viewing area and it was announced promptly at 2:20 pm.
There really was no excuse for the failure to notify.
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