Marana, Arizona
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on Wednesday, October 4th, 2023 at 2:20 PM EDT. This is only a test and does not require any action on the part of the public.
The purpose of this test is to assess the reliability and effectiveness of the EAS (Emergency Alert System) and WEA (Wireless Emergency Alert System) which are used to distribute emergency alerts to the public. The test message will be sent to TV and radio stations, cable systems, wireless television providers, satellite radio and television providers, and wireline video providers.
Some mobile phones will also receive the test message, although cell phone users will not be required to act upon the test alert. The WEA portion of the test commences at 2:20 PM EDT and the EAS portion follows at 2:20 PM EDT. The test may last approximately one minute.
During the test, regular programming will be interrupted as part of the test. The audio message will state:
“THIS IS A TEST of the National Emergency Alert System. This system was developed by broadcast and cable operators in voluntary cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Communications Commission, and local authorities to keep you informed in the event of an emergency. If this had been an actual emergency an official message would have followed the tone alert you heard at the start of this message. No action is required.”
The emergency alert test is intended to assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure for distribution of a national message and determine whether technological improvements are needed. Although the test may be briefly disruptive, it is crucial to ensuring that the alert systems work properly in case of an actual emergency.
No action is required by the public, but feedback on the test experience is welcomed.
