Phones, TVs and radios nationwide will all be hit with an emergency broadcast message on Wednesday October 4th.
Next week, your phone, TV, and radio will receive emergency messages as part of a nationwide alert system test. The test, scheduled for Oct. 4 at 2:20pm eastern standard time, is a joint effort between the US Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to evaluate their US-wide emergency alert systems.
Both the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) for phones and the Emergency Alert System (EAS) for TVs and radios will be tested simultaneously. This marks the seventh national EAS test and the second time that all US cellular devices are included.
Get informed about everything pertaining to the test happening next week.
Test Details To Be Aware Of
On Wednesday, Oct. 4, starting at 2:20 p.m. ET/11:20 a.m. PT, cell towers will transmit the emergency alert for a duration of 30 minutes. If your phone is within a cell tower's coverage area, you'll receive a notification stating: "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed."
The alerts will either be in English or Spanish, based on your phone's chosen language settings. To ensure maximum accessibility, these phone alerts will feature a distinct tone and vibration.
For TVs and radios, the alert will persist for 1 minute, communicating: "This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, spanning the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is necessary from the public."
Should there be extreme weather or another significant event on Oct. 4, the test will be rescheduled for Oct. 11.
What Kind Of Events Trigger Emergency Alerts?
The following are instances when WEA and EAS alerts may be dispatched to you outside of tests:
- Alerts related to public safety.
- AMBER alerts during instances of child abduction.
- Presidential alerts for national emergencies.
Additionally, there are notifications for immediate threats such as:
- National Weather Service warnings for extreme weather events and natural calamities, including flash floods, tornadoes, tsunamis, severe thunderstorms, hurricanes, typhoons, storm surges, high winds, dust storms, and snow squalls.
- Situations with active shooters.
- Man-made crises.
- Blue Alerts when a law enforcement official is harmed.
- Other pressing emergencies.
It's important to note that WEA messages remain effective even during network traffic.
