I don't know about you, but to me, there are few things more unsettling than when my phone explodes with an emergency alert. You know: The eerie, unearthly ringing/shrieking that goes off when there's a tornado warning, or an AMBER alert, or some similar emergency. It just freaks. Me. Out.
So I dunno how I'm gonna deal with it when literally every phone in the country is going to be doing that in October. Along with all the TVs. And also the radios.
Get ready for a lot of simultaneously buzzing phones on Oct. 4.
There is going to be a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) that day.
FEMA is coordinating with the Federal Communications Commission to carry out the test at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 4.
Here's how you'll find me when this happens:
The messages displayed during this test will, helpfully, inform users: "THIS IS A TEST." Just in case anyone forgets.
The U.S. has, thankfully, never had to use the EAS for its primary intended purpose, namely for the President of the United States to address the nation in the event of an existential danger of some kind. Its primary use is at local and regional levels for weather events and other localized emergencies.
But I guess it's still good to test it every once in a while. Just in case.
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