Nationwide FEMA Emergency Notifications Systems Test on Wednesday

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced that they will be conducting a nationwide test of its emergency notification systems this week.

Key Points:

• Date of Test: Wednesday, Oct. 4
• Time: Between 1:20-1:50 p.m. CT (2:20-2:50 p.m. ET/11:20-11:50 a.m. PT)
• Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of FEMA’s Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts.
• Frequency: All mobile phones will receive the message one time only.

What to Expect:

At around 1:20 p.m. CT, cell towers will initiate the broadcast of the test which will continue for approximately 30 minutes.

• Wireless phones that are:
• WEA-compatible
• Switched on
• Within range of an active cell tower
• Connected to a participating wireless provider

Should receive the test message.

The alert message will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”

For phones set to Spanish, the alert will display: “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”

Citizens are reminded that this is only a test, and no action is required upon receiving the message.