Full Notification

Integrated Public Alert & Warning System National Test – Wednesday, October 3, 2018

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) and Emergency Alert System (EAS) and system on Wednesday, October 3, 2018. This test will assess the readiness to distribute an emergency message nationwide and determine whether improvements are needed. This will be the first nationwide Presidential-level WEA test and cannot be opted out.

Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) Text Message Test
The WEA text test message will begin at 2:18 p.m. and will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” Cell phones should receive the message only once.

Emergency Alert System (EAS) Test
The EAS test message is distributed to radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers, and wireline video providers. The test message will be similar to regular monthly EAS test messages with which the public is familiar and interrupts programming for approximately one minute.

The EAS message will be sent at 2:20 p.m. and will read: “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.”