Nationwide Emergency Alert Test on Wednesday

On Wednesday, FEMA and the FCC will conduct a national emergency alert test.

The test, scheduled for 11:20 a.m. Pacific Time, will include the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA).

The wireless test will send emergency test broadcasts to all cell phones.

The EAS test will go to all televisions and radios.

If there are widespread weather issues, the test will be rescheduled to the following week on October 11.

From FEMA:

The following can be expected from the nationwide WEA test:

Beginning at approximately [11:20 a.m. PDT], 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 whose 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.”

WEA alerts are created and sent by authorized federal, state, local, tribal and territorial government agencies through IPAWS to participating wireless providers, which deliver the alerts to compatible handsets in geo-targeted areas. To help ensure that these alerts are accessible to the entire public, including people with disabilities, the alerts are accompanied by a unique tone and vibration.

Important information about the EAS test:

The EAS portion of the test is scheduled to last approximately one minute and will be conducted with the participation of radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers and wireline video providers.

The test message will be similar to the regular monthly EAS test messages with which the public is familiar. It will state: “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.”