Washington D.C. – A nationwide alert will be sent to all televisions, radios and mobile phones on the 4th 2023. There is no requirement to contact law enforcement officials or to dial 911. This is just be a test, not an actual emergency.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) along and with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is preparing for a nationwide, comprehensive testing of both the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) this week.
The test will comprise two main components, which will test EAS and WEA’s capabilities. WEA in addition to EAS. The tests will begin at around 1.20 p.m. CST, on Thursday, October 4th.
The WEA portion that will take place during the testing is targeted to all cell phones used by consumers. Although this is the third nationwide test, this is the second that includes all mobile devices. Test messages will appear in English or Spanish according to the language settings on the device.
However, the EAS part is broadcast to televisions and radios making it the seventh national EAS test.
FEMA as well as the FCC work in close collaboration with EAS participants wireless service providers as well as emergency management agencies and others to ensure that the test is conducted smoothly, with the goal of making it less confusing while increasing its positive impact on public safety.
The main goal of the test scheduled for October 4th is to confirm that these systems are efficient in educating people about emergency situations and emergencies with national significance. If extreme weather or other major circumstances require a delay the date for testing backup is scheduled for October 11th.
The WEA part in the testing will be conducted through the FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) which is an online-based, centrally managed platform operated by FEMA that allows authorities to send authentic warning messages for emergencies to general public via different communications networks. It is expected that the WEA testing will be broadcast by way of a code which is then that is sent to mobile phones.
This year this year, the EAS alert will also be distributed in the form of an Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) message through the integrated Public Alert and Warning System Open Platform for Emergency Networks (IPAWS-OPEN).
In the national WEA test Wireless phones will be able to receive the message once. This is what you can be expecting:
At around 1:10 p.m. CST Cell towers are scheduled to broadcast a test message for around 30 minutes. Wireless phones that support WEA when connected, and within the reach of a cell tower, and connected to wireless providers that are part of WEA will be able be able to receive the message. If the phone is in English the message reads: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. It is not necessary to take any action.”
– Spanish-language phones will display: “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita accion.”
WEA alerts are created and delivered by government agencies at the federal and state, local, tribal and territorial levels via IPAWS to participating wireless companies who will then forward these alerts on compatible phones in the targeted areas. To make sure that the alerts are available to all as well as those who are disabled, they are marked with a distinct vibrating tone and sound.
Important points concerning EAS test: Key points to consider about EAS test:
The EAS part will run approximately one minute. It will include radio and television broadcasters as well as satellite radio, cable systems and television providers, as well as cable video companies.
This test announcement will similar to the month-long EAS testing messages people are familiar with. The message will read: “This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, that covers all of the United States from 13:20 to 13:50 CST. It is merely an exercise. There is no obligation on the general public.”
