Emergency system test set for Aug. 11

Mercer County, New Jersey sent this bulletin at 07/30/2021 04:07 PM EDT

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Emergency system test set for Aug. 11

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on Wednesday, Aug. 11, beginning at 2:20 p.m. ET. The purpose of the test is to ensure that the EAS and WEA systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level.

FEMA test

WEAs can be sent to your mobile device when you may be in harm’s way, without the need to download an app or subscribe to a service. WEAs are messages that warn the public of an impending natural or human-made disaster – such as the messages Mercer County residents received on their mobile devices on July 29, warning them of potential tornado activity in the area. The messages are short and can provide immediate, life-saving information. 

The Wireless Emergency Alert portion of the test will be directed only to consumer cell phones where the subscriber has opted-in to receive test messages. This will be the second nationwide WEA test, but the first nationwide WEA test on a consumer opt-in basis. The test message will display in either English or in Spanish, depending on the language settings of the wireless handset.

For consumers who have opted in to receive WEA test messages, the message that appears on their phones will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” Opt-in phones with the main menu set to Spanish will display: “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. The test handling code will allow FEMA to test this capability while limiting test messages to those phones that have opted in to receive test messages.

The Emergency Alert System portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions and is scheduled to last approximately one minute. This will be the sixth nationwide EAS test.

If the test is postponed because of widespread severe weather or other significant events, the back-up date for the test is Aug. 25.