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posted by takyon on Wednesday October 03 2018, @12:51PM   Printer-friendly
from the can-any^Weverybody-hear-me? dept.

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)


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 03 2018, @06:20PM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 03 2018, @06:20PM (#743538)
    It was not loud, just longer than usual. I'd say it's OK.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 03 2018, @06:48PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 03 2018, @06:48PM (#743561)

    My phone was off - been through stupid weather and amber alerts - first thing to break on ANY phone you own. The all those poor folks with no hearing, forcing this stupid test on the rest of us.

    Developers of this function should be shot... design a the test system INTO the design! So an end to end test can be had at any time like a ping, even have the ends expect see at least say 6 pings a year, if not report the error to the user. Then you schedule weekly or monthly pings that will keep those phone happy. Only the phones that fail getting or seeing the ping would report the error.

    • (Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Wednesday October 03 2018, @07:59PM (1 child)

      by MichaelDavidCrawford (2339) Subscriber Badge <mdcrawford@gmail.com> on Wednesday October 03 2018, @07:59PM (#743631) Homepage Journal

      I had not seen one in decades because I've been listening to music.

      So here mom and I are watching the news early in the morning, both of us in a stupour as we sip our day's first coffee.

      And an emergency broadcast test comes on. I thought the Commies had nuked Portland.

      A study found that people who watch TV are 44% more likely to fear they'll be attacked. Mom watches TV her every waking minute. It's a wonder she doesn't hide under her bed all day.

      --
      Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
      • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 03 2018, @11:25PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 03 2018, @11:25PM (#743750)

        how about people that watch fox news? is there a statistic about that? there are too many other liberal agendas to measure so I thought maybe we can just focus on one of them for now.