Nationwide Emergency Alert Test Oct. 3

SALEM, OR — Millions of cell phones across the country will almost simultaneously receive the same notifications Wednesday as part of the federal government's tests of Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and the Emergency Alert System (EAS).

Communities throughout the U.S. have been preparing for the nationwide tests for the past several weeks. Originally, officials with FEMA and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) scheduled the tests for Sept. 20, but those were postponed due to the timing of Hurricane Florence.

On Oct. 3, the WEA test will begin at 11:18 a.m. PST, and the EAS test will follow at 11:20 a.m. — though both alerts may take several minutes to actually reach individual phones, state officials said, noting the alert is expected to be audible on most cell phones. Because of this, officials advise citizens to be prepared for the alert especially if they're driving, at work, or at a personal appointment where a cell phone chime may be considered inappropriate.

The test will also broadcast over television and radio, officials said. No action is reportedly required from test alert recipients.

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Ultimately, the system is designed to ensure public safety officials have a way to communicate urgent emergency warnings and alerts to the public without complications caused by medium or platform.

Alerts of this kind are not expected to be a regular occurrence, officials said, but the infrastructure needed to provide them will be helpful if and when an extreme emergency situation necessitates their use.

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