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- The nationwide alert will take place today at approximately 2:20 PM ET
- Alerts are sent to smartphones, televisions and via radio
- Americans will see a message and hear a “unique tone” during the exercise
- READ MORE: The purpose of the test is to warn the public of emergency situations
Every U.S. smartphone, television and radio will receive an alert Wednesday as part of a nationwide test for an emergency alert system.
“This is a test” will flash across screens as the federal government tests its alert system to inform people of emergencies.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) will conduct the exercise at 2:20 PM ET.
All cordless phones receive the message only once and cell towers broadcast the test for approximately 30 minutes.
Every U.S. smartphone, television and radio will receive an alert Wednesday as part of a nationwide test for an emergency alert system
The planned test was first conducted in 2012 and has since been used about 84,000 times in the US to alert the public about missing children, natural disasters and other emergencies.
The national test will consist of two parts: testing the capabilities of Wireless Emergency Alerts (WAS) and Emergency Alert System (EAS).
The WEA portion of the test is sent to all consumer cell phones, and the EAS portion of the test is sent to radios and televisions.
FEMA officials said the WEA test will be administered via a code sent to cell phones.
Wireless phone customers in the United States who have their phones on will receive a message that says, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is necessary.’
The incoming message will also make a sound and the phone should vibrate.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) will conduct the exercise at 2:20 PM ET, accompanied by a “unique tone and vibration”
Phones with the main menu set to Spanish will show: ‘ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. There is no need for an accident.’
According to the authorities, this will be the seventh national EAS test.
This test takes about one minute.
According to FEMA, it will be conducted with the participation of radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers, and wireline video providers.
People watching cable TV broadcasts or listening to the radio will hear and see a one-minute message: “This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 2:20 PM to 2:50 PM ET. This is just a test. No action is required from the public.”
Federal law requires that the systems be tested at least once every three years. The last national test was on August 11, 2021.