FEMA/FCC Test of the WEA/EAS October 3rd
Cheyenne County Emergency Management Director Ryan Murray recently shared the following information regarding a FEMA/FCC Test of the WEA/EAS.
On Wednesday, October 3rd at 1:18 PM CDT, 12:18 pm MDT, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will send a TEST Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) message to nearly all wireless devices in the United States.
This test was previously scheduled for Thursday, September 20th but was postponed due to ongoing response efforts to Hurricane Florence.
IMPORTANT: This is a "Presidential Alert". You can not turn off a Presidential Alert. You CAN NOT "opt out" of the test either.
What This Means For You: If your phone is turned on, within range of an active cell tower and whose wireless provider participates in WEA, the phone should be capable of receiving the message. This means just about every wireless device in America will receive the text at 1:18 PM CDT, 12:18 PM MDT (10/3/18). The alert will set off an audible alarm. The test will be broadcast for 30 minutes, but cell phones should only receive the message once.
The message header will be "Presidential Alert". The message text will be: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
NOTE: The National Weather Service has nothing to do with this test. This test will not trigger NOAA Weather Radios.
At 1:20 PM CDT on the same day, an Emergency Alert System (EAS) test will be sent out by radio stations. The EAS message will say:
“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. A similar wireless emergency alert test message has been sent to all cell phones nationwide. Some cell phones will receive the message; others will not. No action is required.”
Click the link below to access the official FEMA information release about the test.
