Emergency Alert Nationwide Test Today

The first simultaneous, nationwide multimedia test of the federal Emergency Alert System is scheduled for 2 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011. The test will last for up to three-and-a-half minutes. 

An audio message, "This is a test," will be broadcast for the first time in the United States and its territories simultaneously on radio, satellite radio, television and cable stations. This is the first test of a nationwide Emergency Alert on all media. The alert will last as long as three minutes. 

This EAS test will be broadcast on radio and television stations, cable television, satellite radio and television services and on wire line providers in all states and U.S. territories. 

Individuals who are not aware of the test may perceive it as an actual emergency message so it is important to make the public aware of the test well ahead of the testing period. 

The federal agencies helping to conduct this first-of-its-kind multimedia emergency alert test are the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Communications Commission(FCC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

This national alert and warning system was set up to enable the President of the United States to address the American public during extreme emergencies. The Nationwide Test is similar to local EAS tests that have been conducted frequently for many years to test the operation of local emergency alert systems. These local EAS tests typically last less than one minute and do not occur on all media simultaneously. 

FEMA, the FCC and other federal partners, along with state, local, tribal and territorial governments and others have been working to coordinate the nationwide test for two years as part of the nation's ongoing emergency preparedness planning efforts. 

For more information on today's test, click here. To find out how to stay informed during an actual emergency, go to www.Ready.gov and for tips on what to do in the event of an emergency, go to http://www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/eas_info.shtm.