Emergency alert test time: When and why FEMA sounds will take over your cell phone today
Today nearly every cellular phone in America will receive a message from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The message is to test the country’s emergency alert system. Here’s what you need to know about it and what time you can expect to receive the message.
What’s happening?
FEMA and the FCC are conducting a test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system. The EAS test will be sent via televisions and radios and the WEA test will be sent to cellular phones, including iPhones and Android phones.
What are the tests for?
The tests are designed to see how the country’s emergency alert systems are performing. Federal law requires that the emergency alert system is tested at least every three years. As NPR reports, the last test occurred in 2021.
What do the emergency alert systems warn of?
Both the EAS and WEA are designed to warn the country of sudden emergencies. These emergencies could entail natural disasters, such as earthquakes or hurricanes. They can also entail man-made threats, such as an incoming nuclear missile strike or terrorist attack. And if a large asteroid is ever about to smack into the earth, you can expect notification of the cosmic event via the EAS and WEA.
What time will the emergency alert test send a message to my phone?
The WEA test will be sent to cellular phones at approximately 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time, today, Wednesday, October 4.
More specifically, it will occur at the following time in different time zones:
What will the test message say?
A message alert will appear on your phone stating, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
If your phone’s system language is set to Spanish, you will receive the test message in Spanish. It will say: “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”
FEMA also notes that “the alerts are accompanied by a unique tone and vibration” so they are accessible to the entire public, including those with disabilities.
Can I block the test from being received on my phone?
It doesn’t appear there is an easy way to stop your phone from receiving the test message.
While the emergency alert system will send the message to all phones beginning at 2:20 p.m. ET, the message signal will last for 30 minutes so phones that are initially out of range of a cellular tower will still eventually get the message, provided they connect to a cellular tower by approximately 2:50 p.m. ET. (We reached out to FEMA about opt-out options but did not hear back.)
If you really don’t want to receive the message, you’ll need to turn your phone off for the 30 minutes it is being broadcast.
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