“Presidential Alerts” to be sent to cell–phone users on Oct. 3Date: 9/26/2018 GREATER SPRINGFIELD – On Oct. 3, around 250 million Americans – or roughly 75 percent of the U.S. population – will receive a text message with an unfamiliar tone reading, “Presidential Alert” – but don’t be alarmed. The text is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) nationwide test for a new national wireless alert system that will allow the president to send out text messages to cell-phone users during a national crisis.
FEMA, which is responsible for responding to domestic disasters, will conduct a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) test in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission at 2:18 p.m. The test will help the agency assess the country’s readiness to distribute emergency alerts nationwide and to determine whether improvements are needed.
The “Presidential Alert” will be sent using FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) and will read, "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed."
The WEA system is an alerting network designed to send emergency alerts to mobile devices such as cell phones and pagers. It is used to warn the public about dangerous weather, missing children, and other critical situations. The national test will use the same special tone and vibration as with all WEA messages – such as Tornado Warnings and AMBER Alerts. However, while many local and state governments have issued WEA alerts, this will be the first test conducted for a national “Presidential Alert.”
“Let’s say, for the sake of discussion, the nation was under attack and the ballistic launch was a true event on Jan. 13 – that would be one of the conditions under which these national capabilities could be used,” a FEMA official said during a Sept. 21 phone conference. “The president, or his designee, would be advised by their staff to activate these national warning capabilities to the public. At that time, those designees would contact the FEMA authorization center and we would activate these systems that would result in us being able to issue a nationwide message.”
The test message will be sent to cell phones that are connected to wireless providers participating in WEA. Cell phones should only receive the message once. Citizens with WEA compatible phones that are switched on cannot opt out of receiving the WEA test.
Modern cell-phones, according to FEMA officials, should be compatible with the system. Individuals can check their phone’s user manual or contact their mobile provider to find out.
FEMA developed the WEA system in 2016 under a law enacted by President Barack Obama. The emergency response agency emphasized that the system can only be to used to communicate about disasters or terrorist attacks. FEMA officials also insisted that the agency cannot track cell phone user’s locations through the alert systems.
The test was originally scheduled to take place on Sept. 20, but had to be postponed due to response efforts for Hurricane Florence.
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