Washington DC, United States: On Wednesday, many Americans received flash messages on cell phones or television reading “THIS IS A TEST” with a blaring noise.
The federal government has outlined that the message was part of a drill carried out to test emergency alert systems to tell people about emergencies. The authorities outlined that such Integrated Public Alert and Warning System sends out messages through the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts.
Emergency Alert System:
It is a national public warning system that is used by the president to interact with the people of America amid a national emergency. Through this system, the president can talk to the general public within ten (10) minutes.
Specific outlets such as radio and television act as a medium of communication between the president and the public. Via this Alert System, short messages of around 360 characters or less can be sent on mobile phones to warn users about any national emergency.
These types of alerts are shared in the public domain to warn people in the area of things like tornadoes, cyclones and other major natural disasters. However, Wednesday’s test was conducted across the country as a drill.
According to the federal government, the test was conducted at 2:20 pm EST on Wednesday, October 4, although some of the cell phones even blared a few minutes before.
The message received by the wireless phone customers read, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” It is to be noted that this incoming message also makes a loud noise.
Reportedly, the customers who had Spanish as their default language received the message in the same language.
As per the information shared by the federal government, the test was conducted within a window of 30 minutes, although the mobile users were supposed to get messages at once. The government also clarified that if a particular mobile phone was switched off at 2:20 pm EST and turned on within the next half an hour (30 minutes), then it should have received a message when switched on. However, if the phone is switched on after 30 minutes, then that device would not have received the message as the message expired.
According to various reports, the message was also sent to the owners of broadcast or cable television or radio. The message that was flashed on the TV screens read, “This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.”
Previous test of the Emergency Alert System:
According to the official data, previously, the test was conducted on August 11, 2021. The Federal law of the United States asks the government to conduct such system tests at least once every three years.
What Americans have to say about this test:
Because of the lack of details related to the conducted test, social media was flooded with misinformation. Some of the users mentioned that it was part of a plot to send a signal to cell phones nationwide to activate nanoparticles such as graphene oxide that have been introduced into people’s bodies.
However, such claims were rubbished by the experts and FEMA officials.
Moreover, some of the social media users outlined that they decided to shut their cell phones off on Wednesday. In addition to this, the alert message was a concern for the victims of abuse, as many of them chose to hide their phones from the abuser. Organizations that work in favor of such victims suggest they keep their phones off for the 30-minute window to avoid the blaring noise.
Furthermore, some people also turned off their mobile phones for personal or professional reasons. It is to be noted that media personnel were asked to switch off their cell phones during a press briefing at the White House on Wednesday.