On Wednesday, October 4, at 2:20 p.m. your cell phone is going to ring. So will that of the people next you and the people next to them. If you’re watching television at the time or listening to the radio, you will get alerts there too. It’s all part of a nationwide test by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of two emergency alert systems.
The purpose of Wednesday’s test is to ensure that the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level. In case the October 4 test is postponed due to widespread severe weather or other significant events, the back-up testing date is the following Wednesday, October 11.
FEMA says that all wireless phones should get the test message only once. In English, it will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” In Spanish, it will be “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.” For people with disabilities, the alerts are accompanied by a unique tone and vibration.
