UNITED STATES — At 11:20 a.m. today, Oct. 4, anyone with a cell phone can expect an emergency alert from the U.S. federal government.
The alert is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission.
The national test will consist of two portions, testing Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) and Emergency Alert System capabilities. Both tests are scheduled to begin at approximately 11:20 a.m.
The message will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
The WEA portion of the test will be directed to consumer cell phones. This will be the third nationwide test, but the second test to all WEA-compatible 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.
The purpose of the test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level.
