The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) today, October 4, 2023. Test Messages will be sent to all TVs, Radios, and Mobile Phones

The national test will consist of two portions, testing WEA and EAS capabilities. Both tests are scheduled to begin at approximately 1:20pm CST.

The WEA portion of the test will be directed to consumer mobile phones. This will be the third nationwide test, but the second test to all WEA-compatible cellular devices.

The test message will display in either English or in Spanish, depending on the phone's language settings. The EAS portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions. This will be the seventh nationwide EAS test.

FEMA and the FCC are coordinating with EAS participants, wireless providers, emergency managers and other stakeholders in preparation for this national test to minimize confusion and maximize the public safety value of the test.

The purpose of the test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level. In case the October 4 test is postponed, due to widespread severe weather or other significant events, the backup testing date is October 11, 2023.

This year, the EAS message will be disseminated as a Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) message via the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System-Open Platform for Emergency Networks (IPAWS-OPEN). All mobile phones should receive the message only once.

More information is available at the following link: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/integrated-public-alert-warning-system/national-test-2023

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