The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have announced a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at approximately 2 – 2:30 p.m. ET. The purpose of the test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies.
The EAS portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions. The message will state: “This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.”
The WEA portion of the test will be directed to all consumer cell phones, displaying in either English or in Spanish, depending on the user’s language settings. The test message that appears on their phones will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
Phones set to Spanish will display: “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”
More information on this emergency test is available at: www.fema.gov/press-release/20230803/fema-and-fcc-plan-nationwide-emergency-alert-test-oct-4-2023.
St. Mary’s County Government’s Department of Emergency Services encourages residents to visit www.stmaryscountymd.gov/prepare to learn more about how you can be prepared for potential emergencies.
