FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a national test of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) on Oct. 4, 2023.
FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) this Wednesday.
The national test will consist of two portions, testing WEA and EAS capabilities. Both tests are scheduled to begin at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET on October 4th.
The WEA portion of the test will be directed to all consumer cell phones. This will be the third nationwide test, but the second test to all cellular devices. The test message will display in either English or in Spanish, depending on the language settings of the wireless handset.
The EAS portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions. This will be the seventh nationwide EAS test.
FEMA and the FCC are coordinating with EAS participants, wireless providers, emergency managers and other stakeholders in preparation for this national test to minimize confusion and to maximize the public safety value of the test.
The purpose of the Oct. 4 test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level. In case the Oct. 4 test is postponed due to widespread severe weather or other significant events, the back-up testing date is Oct. 11.
The WEA portion of the test will be initiated using FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), a centralized internet-based system administered by FEMA that enables authorities to send authenticated emergency messages to the public through multiple communications networks. The WEA test will be administered via a code sent to cell phones.
This year the EAS message will be disseminated as a Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) message via the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System-Open Platform for Emergency Networks (IPAWS-OPEN).
All wireless phones should receive the message only once. The following can be expected from the nationwide WEA test:
• Beginning at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET, cell towers will broadcast the test for approximately 30 minutes. During this time, WEA-compatible wireless phones that are switched on, within range of an active cell tower, and whose wireless provider participates in WEA, should be capable of receiving the test message.
• For consumers, the message that appears on their phones will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
• Phones with the main menu set to Spanish will display: “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”
• WEA alerts are created and sent by authorized federal, state, local, tribal and territorial government agencies through IPAWS to participating wireless providers, which deliver the alerts to compatible handsets in geo-targeted areas. To help ensure that these alerts are accessible to the entire public, including people with disabilities, the alerts are accompanied by a unique tone and vibration.
Important information about the EAS test:
• The EAS portion of the test is scheduled to last approximately one minute and will be conducted with the participation of radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers and wireline video providers.
• The test message will be similar to the regular monthly EAS test messages with which the public is familiar. It will state: “This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours EDT. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.
MacDailyNews Note: Unlike other Government Alerts (AMBER Alerts, Emergency Alerts, Public Safety Alerts, etc.), this test is not able to be turned off in iOS Settings > Notifications > Government Alerts, so the only way to not receive the test message on your iPhone is to turn it off completely on October 4th between 2:20pm – 2:50pm EDT: Settings > General > Shut Down and drag the on-screen slider to the right.
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Sigh. Tim cook’s Apple is . . . what are the words? Thank goodness one can turn it off. Could someone please, please make a legit alternative to iOS or Android? Linux isn’t it, folks, so stop pushing it, and by now one would think you all would have gotten the message (your average user does not want Linux, not for anything). I remember when every new release was a joy; now, I feel like a four year old got their hands on the schematics and the board said, ‘Great! Le’s do it!’. Every time. Every. Single. Time. Sigh.
Very sad, very annoying, and very much not Apple. 😐 I just throw the stickers away in 2023.
I thought those nationwide system tests were unblockable. Sort of like those Flood alerts or tests that occur while you’re watching your TV set.
I will most certainly be turning my iPhone completely off for that hour, because I don’t need no blaring alarm blasting me.
After all this cv craziness, the War Against Humanity I call it, I do my best to steer away from as much government BS as possible.
Thanks for this information!
MDN Brainwashed by Government.
MDN & the Green Acres pig, I turned off my iPhone in Settings and over an hour later turned back on to the blaring alert. No getting away from Big Gov this time…
I wonder if your experience is an instance of iMessage storing the alert till you next started your iPhone.
Interesting question and don’t have the answer, but worth looking into. Let’s say yes to your theory, then can it be turned off?…
Going with the theory that iMessages stores all messages received via SMS till the phone reconnects, I am guessing that even if you destroy your device you’ll still receive the alert short of creating a new AppleID when you get a new device. This is also assuming that when iMessages receives a SMS text, that data becomes tied to your AppleID. In other phones that only receive SMS the server may have some kind of garbage collecting that times out text messages that aren’t retrieved.
Interesting Marvin, thank you for a detailed reply…AGREED.