By Aiyana Fewell
Howard University News Service
FEMA and the FCC will send a test alert to all TVs, radios and cell phones at 2:20 p.m. EST Wednesday in preparation for emergencies.
“The sole purpose of the test is to ensure that the systems continue to be an effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level,” FEMA explained Jeremy Edwards, a spokesperson for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Every three years, the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) must be tested. The last nationwide test of the IPAWS system was in August 2021.
The national test will consist of two portions, testing capabilities of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). The WEA part will be sent to cell phones while the EAS part will be sent to TVs and radios. Edwards emphasized that these tools are essential for public safety on a national level.
- For those with their phone settings in English, the text message will read “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
- For those with their phone settings in Spanish, the text message will read “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”
- “To help ensure that these alerts are accessible to the entire public, including people with disabilities, the alerts are accompanied by a unique tone and vibration,” FEMA said in a statement.
“WEA-compatible wireless phones that are switched on, within range of an active cell tower, and in a geographic area where the wireless provider participates in WEA, should be capable of receiving the test message.” If you fall within any of these categories, you will not receive an alert. The test will run over a 30-minute period, but phones should only receive one message.
The EAS part of the test will be broadcast to all TVs and radios and should run for about a minute with the following message: “This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.”
The first use of the system was a “presidential alert” in October 2018.
The FCC uses the alerts system for national alerts, AMBER Alerts, and public safety messages for imminent threats such as active shooters and extreme weather.
Various claims of misinformation are swirling around regarding emergency alert system testing, from nano particle dispersal to 5G wireless.
October is National Domestic Violence Month, and it is important to acknowledge the possible impact the testing of the IPAWS may have on DV survivors who have hidden phones.
“Survivors should turn off their phones completely,” Audace Garnett, project manager for the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), urged in an interview with Mashable.
“There are other types of emergency alerts that survivors’ phones may receive if they haven’t disabled them (and most people have not), such as emergency weather alerts and Amber Alerts,” Garnett explained. “Unlike a WEA test, these alerts are not announced ahead of time, making it even more advisable for survivors to have their hidden phones powered off when not actively using them.”
“I do think it is important for systems like these to be in place,” said a domestic violence advocate and Howard University student, who declined to use her name to protect her privacy. “These could very easily impact have a negative impact on domestic violence victims. That’s why awareness is important, and there needs to be more media coverage on the alert system.”
Aiyana Fewell is a reporter for HUNewsService.com.
