Emergency test signal coming to cellphones Wednesday afternoon

Press Staff Report

Don’t be startled if your cellphone vibrates, gives you a warning message or even emits an alarm tone Wednesday afternoon.

It’s all part of a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System and the Wireless Emergency Alert system, and it should start about 1:18 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Most cellphones will receive the alert within a few minutes after that.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the test will “assess the readiness to distribute an emergency message nationwide and determine whether improvements are needed.”

The messages will be sent over a FEMA system designed to send emergency messages to multiple communications networks. Cellphone carriers participating in the Wireless Emergency Alert system include Verizon, U.S. Cellular, T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T.

Mike Adams, U.S. Cellular’s director of sales for Iowa and Nebraska, said, “Our participation in this test will provide valuable information on the effectiveness and reliability of the emergency alert system and wireless emergency alerts.

“We encourage everyone to have their wireless phones turned on and available at the time of the test so they know what to expect in a real emergency,” Adams said.

The test message will state: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” The alert will have a special tone and vibration that will repeat twice. There is no data or other charge to receive the message.

There are three categories of alerts sent through the Wireless Emergency Alert system:

• Imminent threat alerts about emergencies including extreme weather.
• AMBER alerts regarding missing or abducted children.
• Presidential alerts about emergencies of national consequence.

Users may opt out of imminent threat and AMBER alerts in their cellphone’s settings, but cannot opt out of receiving presidential alerts. If your phone is turned on and receiving a cell signal, you should receive presidential alerts, including the test this afternoon.

The test will also be sent at 1:20 p.m. to radio and television broadcasters, cable television systems, satellite radio and satellite television providers. The test for these systems will look and sound similar to the monthly tests that most people are familiar with, that interrupt regular service for about a minute.

Federal law requires FEMA “to help ensure that under all conditions the president, federal agencies and state, local and tribal governments can alert and warn the civilian population in areas endangered by natural disasters, acts of terrorism and other man-made disasters or threats to public safety.”