Alert System Test to Hit Smartphones, Radio and TV

Read Time:2 Minute, 38 Second

Don’t be alarmed: The U.S. government on Oct. 4 will be conducting a test — only a test — of the emergency alert systems that span the nation’s millions of wireless phones, TVs and radios.

FEMA, in coordination with the FCC, will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on Wednesday, Oct. 4, scheduled to start at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET.

The purpose of the tests is “to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level,” the agencies said. Congress passed legislation in 2015 requiring FEMA to conduct nationwide tests of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System at least once every three years; the most recent national test occurred in 2021.

The wireless portion of the test will be initiated using FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, a centralized internet-based system administered by the agency that enables authorities to send authenticated emergency messages to the public through multiple communications networks.

All wireless phones should receive the message only once, the agencies said. Beginning at around 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 in a geographic area where the 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.” (If a phone is off before the test alert is sent, and it’s not turned back on until after the WEA test expires within approximately 30 minutes, the device should not display the test message.)

On TV and radio networks, the EAS portion of the test is scheduled to last about 60 seconds and will be conducted with the participation of radio and TV broadcasters, cable system operators, satellite radio and TV providers, and wireline video providers. The test message will be similar to the familiar monthly EAS test messages, stating, “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.”

In the event the Oct. 4 test is postponed, due to “widespread severe weather or other significant events,” the backup test date is Oct. 11, according to the agencies.