FEMA and State Broadcasters, in Coordination with Emergency Managers, test the Emergency Alert System (EAS)

WASHINGTON — Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in coordination with state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency managers and state broadcasters’ associations, will conduct a [routine] test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) in nine states on Wednesday, June 15^th at 2:20 PM MDT/1:20 PM PDT.

Broadcasters from the following locations are voluntarily participating in the test: California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Washington. The EAS test is made available to radio, broadcast and cable television systems and is scheduled to last approximately one minute.

The test will verify the delivery and broadcast, and assess the readiness for distribution of a national-level test message. The message of the test will be similar to the regular monthly test message of EAS, normally heard and seen by the public: “This is a national test of the Emergency Alert System. This is only a test.”

Public safety officials need to be sure that in times of an emergency or disaster, they have the methods and systems that will deliver urgent alerts and warnings to the public when needed. 

The EAS test might also be seen and heard in states and tribal areas that border the participating states as well as in Canada and Mexico.

Periodic testing of public alert and warning systems is a way to assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure required for the distribution of a national message and determine what technological improvements need to be addressed. The next national test is scheduled for September 28, 2016.   Results from this test will support preparations and improvements leading up to the national test. 

More information on the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) is available at www.fema.gov/ipaws or www.ready.gov/alerts.

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