By: Kameron Heft

Loud alarm noises play through our mobile phones, television, and even radios. Whether it’s for a severe storm coming through, public threats, or an unexpected event, these alarms have the ultimate goal of protecting us.

For those alarms to work as planned, they would require testing to ensure that the systems are ready for the task and that people can properly recognize them. Which is what the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, is responsible for.

FEMA announced a test will take place at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. Backup testing date is Oct. 11 in case of inclement weather.

It is expected that on October 4, our phones, television, and radios will send out an emergency alert, much like the amber alerts you’ve probably experienced before, to ensure the system’s effectiveness.

According to Dexerto, “Though noises from your electronic device may be loud for a duration of 30 minutes, FEMA will be assessing the nationwide Emergency Alert System as well as Wireless Emergency Alerts.”

Why is FEMA doing a nationwide test?

Making the test national is to ensure that the emergency system is working seamlessly. Routinely checking it can let authorities know what areas to work on and fix.

“The purpose of the October 4 test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level,” FEMA said.

The test will also use two different portions, the Emergency Alert System and the Wireless Emergency Alerts.

The EAS, Emergency Alert System, is a national public warning system where the president can efficiently address the American public within 10 minutes of an emergency.

“Broadcast, cable, and satellite operators are the stewards of this important public service in close partnership with state, local, tribal, and territorial authorities,” FEMA said.

The WEA, Wireless Emergency Alerts, are emergency messages that use cell towers and can be notified on any active mobile phone.

“WEAs are messages that warn the public of an impending natural or human-made disaster. The messages are short and can provide immediate, life-saving information,” FEMA said.

The entire system is set up with citizens’ safety in mind as well as establishing quick communication in the state of an emergency.