FEMA tests first wireless presidential alarm

For many cell phone users in America, yesterday afternoon’s coffee break may have started with an extra kick.

Officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sent a test of the first-ever presidential alert to nearly 225 million mobile devices across the United States at 2:18 p.m. EST. The alert is intended to be used in the event of a major national emergency, and the test will test the president’s ability to send a message to the American people within 10 minutes of a disaster.

The message sounded like an Amber Alert and read:

Presidential alert.

THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is required.

During yesterday’s White House press conference, just an hour before the message was sent, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the overall test was intended to “assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure for disseminating a national message and determine whether technological improvements are needed.”

FEMA officials previously said the test was expected to last about half an hour, so some people may receive the alert at different times. About 75 percent of all cell phone users are expected to receive the alert.

Under the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Modernization Act of 2015 (IPAWS), FEMA is required to conduct a nationwide test of its public warning systems at least every three years. Yesterday was the rescheduled date for the test, which was originally scheduled for September 20 but was postponed due to ongoing reconstruction efforts following Hurricane Florence.

FEMA recently compiled some important information about wireless emergency alerts that companies can share with their employees:

• WEAs may be sent by state and local safety officials, the National Weather Service, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the President of the United States.
• WEAs can be issued for three alert categories – Immediate Threat, AMBER and Presidential Warning.
• WEAs look like text messages, but are designed to grab your attention and alert you with a unique tone and vibration, both repeated twice.
• WEAs are no longer than 90 characters and include the type and timing of the warning, any actions you should take, and the authority issuing the warning.
• WEAs are not affected by network congestion and do not interfere with ongoing SMS, calls or data sessions.
• There is no cost for mobile users to receive WEAs and there is no need to register