Posted on 09/15/2018 7:44:51 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration will send a message to all U.S. cellphones on Thursday to test a previously unused alert system that aims to warn the public about national emergencies.
The messages will bear the headline "Presidential Alert", the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said in a statement this week. Phones will make a loud tone and have a special vibration, said FEMA, which will send the alert.
The test message, scheduled for 2:18 p.m. EDT on Thursday, will read: "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed."
The test has been scheduled to ensure that the alert system would work in the event of a national emergency. U.S. cellphone users will not be able to opt out.
Former President Barack Obama signed a law in 2016 requiring FEMA to create a system allowing the president to send cellphone alerts regarding public safety emergencies.
Since the wireless emergency alert system began in 2012, it has issued over 36,000 alerts for situations such as missing children, extreme weather and natural disasters, but never a presidential directive. Cell phone users can opt out of natural disaster or missing children alerts.
FEMA said in a statement the alerts can only be used for national emergencies. The president has sole responsibility for determining when the national-level alerts are used.
In the event of widespread severe weather or another significant event on Sept. 20, the test will be pushed back to Oct. 3, FEMA said.
The administration announced in July that it would schedule the test alert for September. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its role in planning the test alert.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
hhmmmmm
I hope it annoys every liberal in America simultaneously.
Well, hell, my phone is usually off anyway.
The media will no doubt find sinister motive behind this.
I don’t care if Obama did sign this law. This is a good thing, and long overdue. People don’t listen to radio or watch broadcast TV as much as they used to. People’s handheld devices are the way to put out a national emergency alert. I view this as a good thing. Maybe it will save lives when the Communist Chinese decide to nuke us.
“THIS IS NOT A TEST of the MAGA Emergency Alert System.
Action is needed now. Report to local red militia rally point immediately for further instruction.”
:-)
On my phone it seems like a feature that can not be turned off. (not that I want to, just sayin’)
How many weddings are about to be ruined?
Everyone I know, including me, has the alerts turned off. If you don’t have them off you get woke up in the middle of the night with every amber alert.
Thanks for that link..
I can see the CNN and PmsMSLSDnbc talking heads sitting on their iPhones.. smiling. Stelter&Madcow haven’t smiled in a long time.
I think you meant “improved”
Not too many in the early afternoon on a Thursday.
I’m locked and loaded!
(oops, did I say that out loud?)
This won’t go well....3000 people die of heart attack or suicide because they thought presidential alert was the end of the world.
Good idea. I hope it works.
In a real emergency it can save lives.
This is a great testing opportunity to see if your smartphone is able to be used by the NSA. I am going to take out my SIM card and also turn it off to test if this message will broadcast.
Report back to us, and let us know.
With fully charged batteries.
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