Come tomorrow afternoon, you can expect quite the racket coming from phones, TVs, radios, and other systems capable of receiving an emergency message.
If you are reading this on October 4th at 2:20 pm EST and wondering why your devices are making a cacophony of noise, don’t worry as it is just a test. Tomorrow afternoon, FEMA and the FCC are coordinating to test two emergency alert systems across the nation to ensure preparedness for national-level emergencies.
As mentioned, two simultaneous alert tests will be conducted tomorrow with the Wireless Emergency Alerts System and the Emergency Alerts System. Most people are familiar with the latter of these two systems, as this is what is used to alert the public of AMBER alerts, severe weather, or other alerts at varying levels of severity. It was established in 1994 and, at that time, instructed both radio and TV broadcasters as well as cable system providers to allow “the President with capability to address the American people within 10 minutes during a national emergency.
