An otherwise peaceful Wednesday morning in October will be briefly interrupted by blaring alerts on cell phones, radios and televisions as several federal agencies perform a joint nationwide test.
Tomorrow at 11:20 a.m. Pacific Time, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are running a test of the country's Emergency Alert System (EAS) plus the Wireless Emergency Alert System (WEA) that goes out to mobile devices.
The WEA portion of the test will be directed to all consumer cell phones. At that time and for 30 minutes after, cell phones that are switched on and within range of a cell tower will get a message that reads: "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed."
FEMA said to help ensure these alerts are accessible to the entire public -- including people with disabilities -- the alerts will be accompanied by a unique tone and vibration.
On radio and television, tomorrow's test is set to last about one minute and will look or sound similar to monthly emergency alert system tests you may have heard before. The message will say: "This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This is only a test. No action is required by the public."
FEMA and FCC officials said the purpose of the test is to ensure that the systems continue to be an effective means of warning the public about emergencies.
