National Wireless Emergency Alert System Test Occurs Today
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, will conduct a nationwide Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), on Wednesday, October 3, 2018.
The test will take place in two parts: the WEA portion starting at 2:18 p.m. ET, followed by the EAS portion at 2:20 p.m. EDT.
This is the first nationwide WEA test conducted, and the fourth for the EAS. The overall test will assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure for distribution of a national message and determine whether technological improvements are needed.
Most cell phone users nationwide will receive an alert tone on their phone and a test message that reads “This is a TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
