Nationwide test of emergency alerting systems to be held Oct. 3

Please be advised that FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, will conduct a nationwide test of Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and Emergency Alert System (EAS) on Wednesday, Oct.3.

The WEA portion of the test commences at 2:18 p.m. EDT, and the EAS portion follows at 2:20 p.m. EDT. The test will assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure for distribution of a national message and determine whether improvements are needed.

The WEA test message will be sent to cell phones that are connected to wireless providers participating in WEA. This is the fourth EAS nationwide test and the first national WEA test.

The WEA system is used to warn the public about dangerous weather, missing children and other critical situations through alerts on cell phones. The national test will use the same special tone and vibration as with all WEA messages (i.e. Tornado Warning, AMBER Alert). Users cannot opt out of receiving the WEA test. The WEA test message will have a header that reads “Presidential Alert” and text that says: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”

The EAS is a national public warning system that provides the president with the communications capability to address the nation during a national emergency. The test message will be similar to regular monthly EAS test messages with which the public is familiar.

For more information, go to the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System National Test page by clicking here.