Nationwide — A nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts will be conducted Wednesday afternoon, October 4th.
Both tests are scheduled to begin at approximately 1:20 p.m. Wednesday. The EAS portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions. The WEA portion of the test will be directed to all consumer cell phones. The test message will display in either English or Spanish, depending on the language settings of the wireless handset.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is coordinating the tests along with the Federal Communications Commission. The tests are meant to ensure that systems continue to be effective in warning the public about emergencies, particularly at the national level.
People who help victims of domestic violence are advising that if you have a hidden cell phone somewhere — if it’s turned on — it will receive this alert and will probably sound an alarm even if it’s set to “ringer off” or “vibrate.”. They tell us the only way the phone will not alert is if it’s turned off.
Thanks to fellow Community First broadcasting station KAYL in Storm Lake
