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What to Expect From the Wireless Emergency Alert Test Wednesday:
The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System on Wednesday will send a test message to everyone using a phone in the US that runs on a network operated by a carrier participating in the the Wireless Emergency Alert system. You'll know you've gotten the message if the header reads "Presidential Alert."
The content of the message will also make it clear you've received the test message. "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed," it'll read. If you've ever received an Amber Alert on your phone, the WEA test might look similar. That's because both types of messages are sent through the same Federal Emergency Management Agency system.
[...] The test message will be sent at 11:18 a.m. PT/2:18 p.m. ET on Wednesday, though FEMA says it might take a few minutes for the test to make it to all phones. Your phone may alert you that the test message has arrived in a slightly different manner than normal text notifications, FEMA says. "WEA includes a special tone (some describe it as quite loud) and a vibration, both repeated twice," according to a description on the FEMA website.
[...] The WEA test will be followed by a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, which is a similar message that will be played over broadcast radio and television stations, at 11:20 a.m. PT/2:20 p.m. ET. Both tests were originally planned for Sept. 20 but were postponed until Oct. 3 because of Hurricane Florence.
Previously: FEMA Emergency Test Message to be Sent to Most U.S. Cell Phones on Sept. 20 (or Oct. 3)
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Wednesday October 03 2018, @03:20PM (12 children)
I don't, however, know the specific mechanisms and systems for triggering these cell phone alerts...
I do know that with last month's Hurricane affecting us here in North Carolina, there were several alerts that came across the cell phones.
Notably, there was the "Extreme Alert: Hurricane Warning this area - check local media and authorities," and "Your area is under a mandatory evacuation order."
Now, I understand well enough how these come across.
The one that surprised me came as I was evacuating with my family (and five cats), driving away from the coast further inland to avoid the evacuation area. When the highway crossed into South Carolina, and cut across a part of that state that was also under evacuation orders, our cell phones almost immediately lit up with the message "Extreme Alert: LEAVE DESIGNATED MANDATORY EVACUATION AREAS NOW - SCEMD.ORG".
Were we detected crossing a forbidden perimeter? Or did we just happen to cross into South Carolina at the moment they decided to send the message? What's going on there?
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 03 2018, @03:31PM
EXTREME ALERT: 10% off all flavors of fago at walmart, 1 mile from exit 34B.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Wednesday October 03 2018, @04:43PM
Failure. The system isn't tested on a national level often enough to be successful at the first go.
This sig for rent.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 03 2018, @04:53PM (5 children)
Much more likely: Your phone connected to a cell tower that was in the "evac area" and by connecting to that cell tower, it received the alert
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Wednesday October 03 2018, @05:50PM (4 children)
So, do you suppose that the tower was broadcasting the message continuously and phones only show the message once? I ask because I legit don't know how this works.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 03 2018, @06:24PM
You are likely to get only guesswork here. I assume the system tracks which cell #s have received which message, or possibly the tower queries the phone to see if it already has the message.
(Score: 3, Informative) by VLM on Wednesday October 03 2018, @06:45PM (1 child)
https://www.weather.gov/riw/WEA_Info [weather.gov]
Probably more than you wanted to know. And this is "for" Wyoming but its a nationwide system.
As you probably know in urban areas the tower you connect to is probably like a block away on the side of a building, so geographic targeting is pretty good, and in rural areas, heck who knows the tower you're randomly connected to might be 30 miles away if the geography and terrain work that way. I know I get stupid warnings sometimes, like some Amber alert because some kids dad is 50 miles east of me last spotted driving east, why would I even get that?
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Wednesday October 03 2018, @10:23PM
Helpful site. Quoting its FAQ:
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday October 04 2018, @12:56AM
That would be my best guess. The alert probably has an ID number on it.
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Wednesday October 03 2018, @04:56PM (2 children)
Your last is a good question. I thought maybe that it was saving the alert and displaying it for new connectors but this from Wikipedia [wikipedia.org] says it is a one-to-many system with no way to differentiate if a particular user received the alert or not. Maybe it was just a coincidence.
This sig for rent.
(Score: 3, Informative) by sjames on Thursday October 04 2018, @01:03AM (1 child)
From your link:
So he entered a new area and received the repeating message for the first time, so it displayed.
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Thursday October 04 2018, @02:52PM
Missed that bit, thanks!
This sig for rent.
(Score: 2) by EvilSS on Wednesday October 03 2018, @06:08PM