US will conduct nationwide test of Emergency Alert System across ALL cellphones, TVs and radios at 2pm on October 4th

The United States will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts on all wireless and electronic devices this fall.

The purpose of the test is to alert the public to emergency situations, especially those on a national scale, and to ensure that existing systems remain effective.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and FEMA will conduct the test which will be in two parts – from the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and the Emergency Alert System (EAS).

The emergency alerts will take place Wednesday, October 4 around 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time (ET), with a backup test date of October 11.

FEMA said the warnings will be accompanied by a “unique tone and vibration.”

The messages are forwarded to all mobile phones, radios and televisions

In 2018, an emergency alert was accidentally sent saying a missile was headed for Hawaii

The Wireless Emergency Alert test targets all consumer mobile phones and displays in English or Spanish, depending on individual language settings.

All cordless phones receive the message only once. Cell masts broadcast the test for about 30 minutes.

During this time, WEA-enabled cordless phones that are turned on, within range of an active cell tower and whose wireless carrier participates in WEA should be able to receive the test message, FEMA said in a statement. press release.

Consumers should expect the message that appears on their phone to read, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.’

Phones with the main menu set to Spanish will display: ‘ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. There’s no need for an accident.’

WEA alerts are created and sent by authorized federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government agencies via IPAWS to participating wireless carriers, who deliver the alerts to compatible handsets in geo-targeted areas

To ensure that these alerts are accessible to the entire public, including people with disabilities, the alerts are accompanied by a unique tone and vibration.

The Wireless Emergency Alert test will be initiated using FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS). This is a centralized, Internet-based system operated by FEMA that allows authorities to send verified emergency messages to the public over multiple communications networks.

FEMA officials said the WEA test will be administered via a code sent to cell phones.

This year, the Emergency Alert System message will be distributed as a Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) message through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System-Open Platform for Emergency Networks (IPAWS-OPEN), according to the release.

Pictured: What an Emergency Alert test looks like when run on a mobile phone

Pictured: An emergency alert from USGS ShakeAlert indicates what someone should do in this disaster: ‘Earthquake detected! Drop, cover, hold. protect yourself’

The Emergency Alert System portion of the test is broadcast to radios and televisions.

According to the authorities, this will be the seventh nationwide EAS test.

This test will take about a minute, according to FEMA, and will be conducted with the participation of radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers, and wireline video providers.

The test message will be similar to the regular monthly Emergency Alert System test messages known to the public.

It reads, “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.’

Earlier this month, Maui was hit by a devastating wildfire, and survivors said the island’s emergency warning system failed to warn them of the deadly infernos that killed at least 55 people.

A growing number of residents claimed they had not received alerts to their mobile phones, or only received alerts after they had already fled their homes as the smoke and flames approached.

Danger sirens in Lahaina, the historic city completely destroyed by the wildfires, and other parts of Maui also failed to sound as the blaze quickly engulfed property, some locals said.

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said after the Aug. 8 disaster that he “cannot comment on whether or not the sirens sounded,” but said the fires were an “impossible situation” and “spread so quickly,” DailyMail.com reported.