FEMA, which oversees the wireless emergency alert (WEA) system, announced that the test that had been scheduled for tomorrow will be pushed back to Oct. 3, citing the “ongoing response efforts to Hurricane Florence.”
It was to be a nationwide test of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) on Thursday, Sept. 20, at 11:18 a.m. This test was coordinated by FEMA and the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and would have been broadcast via radio, TV, cable stations and wireless carriers.
This type of nationwide test ensures that in times of an emergency or disaster, public safety officials have methods and systems that’ll deliver urgent alerts and warnings to the public. Alerts are rare, but can happen locally, statewide or nationally. For more information visit: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-alert-test.
