Cell Phone Users to Receive Emergency Test Today

Everyone who owns a cell phone will hear it buzzing and vibrating this afternoon, from a nationwide test from FEMA.

This Wireless Emergency Alert will begin at 1:18pm Iowa time. Recipients' cell phones will vibrate, then receive a text message, announcing that "This is a Test of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System" and "No Action is Needed".

The test is run through every cell phone tower in the nation to assess the readiness of distributing a national message, and determine if any improvements are needed.
The Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and Emergency Alert System (EAS), will last about 30 minutes.

The WEA system is used to alert the public of dangerous weather, missing children, and other critical situations.

The EAS allows the President to address the nation during a national emergency. The test will be received by participating radio and television stations, and will last about one minute.

Today's test was originally scheduled for September 20th, but due to response efforts to Hurricane Florence, it was postponed until today (Oct. 3rd).