Don’t stress, it’s just a test! The Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be conducting emergency tests across the country for phones, televisions, and radios on Wednesday, October 4.
The tests will happen in two portions. You can expect to see tests on cell phones right around 12:15 p.m. The tests will alert cell phones, very similar to Amber Alerts. There is no reason to take action or be worried, as it’s just a test.
The second series of tests will deploy right around 12:20 p.m. and will be streamed on televisions and broadcasted across radios. The testing should conclude by 12:30 p.m.
FEMA and the FCC have noted that they will not deploy the tests if there is an actual disaster occurring at any point on Wednesday, October 4, to ensure people don’t confuse test alerts with actual warning information. If the tests are postponed, the backup date has been designated for October 11 in the same time frame.
The tests are happening to make sure federal emergency management coordinators can ensure the national alert system is still an effective way to warn Americans about emergencies, natural catastrophes, attacks, and accidents at the national level.
