Testing, testing: FEMA schedules emergency alert test for this afternoon
Late this afternoon, phones, TVs and radios nationwide will blare an emergency alert.
No need for alarm; it’s just a test.
Around 2:20 p.m. Oct. 4, smartphones will sound an alarm similar to an Amber alert. An accompanying text alert will appear in English or Spanish, for Spanish speakers, on the phone’s screen.
The text alert will read, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed,” according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The alarm will only go off once, according to FEMA. If a person turns their phone off before the half-hour alert testing window begins and back on after the alert expires, the phone should not get the message.
While cellphones buzz and blare, radios and TVs across the country will also sound an alarm akin to Amber or weather emergency tones. Following the alarm, an announcer 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.”
The radio and TV alert will last approximately one minute, according to FEMA.
By law, FEMA is required to conduct Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) tests at least once every three years. The last test took place in 2021.
If a real national emergency occurs during the scheduled testing time, the test alert will take place Oct. 11.