Be forewarned: On Wednesday, electronic devices nationwide, including cellphones, TVs and radios, will blare out the jolting warning sounds of an emergency alert accompanied by a message.
But don’t be alarmed, it’s only a test.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), along with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is running the test to make sure the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) for cellphones and the Emergency Alert System (EAS) for radio and television are in proper working order in preparation for an actual emergency, like a natural disaster, terrorism or other threats to public safety, especially nationwide.
On Wednesday, Oct. 4, at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET, the alert will happen simultaneously in each time zone nationwide. Here’s when you can expect to be alerted depending on your time zone:
But don’t be alarmed, it’s only a test.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), along with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is running the test to make sure the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) for cellphones and the Emergency Alert System (EAS) for radio and television are in proper working order in preparation for an actual emergency, like a natural disaster, terrorism or other threats to public safety, especially nationwide.
On Wednesday, Oct. 4, at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET, the alert will happen simultaneously in each time zone nationwide. Here’s when you can expect to be alerted depending on your time zone:
- 2:20 p.m. EDT
- 1:20 p.m. CDT
- 12:20 p.m. MDT
- 11:20 a.m. PDT
- 10:20 a.m. ADT
- 8:20 a.m. HST
