Nationwide Emergency Alert System

On Wednesday, Nov. 9, FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security and the FCC will conduct the first national test of the Nationwide Emergency Alert System. The test is designed to broadcast a nationwide message to the American public. Starting at 2 p.m. EST (and concurrently across all time zones), the 30-second test will run concurrently on all radio and TV band stations. The national Emergency Alert System is an alert and warning system that can be activated by the President to provide information to the American public during emergencies, according to information on FEMA's website.
"The test is an important exercise in ensuring that the system is effective in communicating critical information to the public in the event of a real national emergency. It is a critical communications tool that can provide alerts, warning and information rapidly across multiple television and radio platforms," the site explains.

Though next Wednesday's exercise is just a test, due to limitations in the Emergency Alert System, the video test message scroll may not indicate that “This is a test.” In order to raise awareness, not cause fear and so no one is caught off guard, FEMA is encouraging everyone to spread the word about the Emergency Alert System test by informing your friends, sharing this article and posting on your social networking sites. FEMA has several informational videos and guides on its website to use in order to further educate yourself about the test.