What To Know Before Nation's Emergency Alert System Test

WILL COUNTY, IL — A first-of-its-kind nationwide test of the country's Wireless Emergency Alert System (WEA) will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 3. The nationwide alert of the nation's emergency communications infrastructure, via a test called a "Presidential Alert," is scheduled for 1:18 p.m. CST, followed by a national test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) at 1:20 p.m, officials said. The WEA test message will read: THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.

The test was originally scheduled for 1:18 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 20, but was postponed until Oct. 3 "due to ongoing effects from Hurricane Florence."

"Since this test will take place during school hours, the Department of Education is working to inform school personnel about the test," Harold Damron, director of the Will County Emergency Management Agency, said in September. "We encourage parents to explain the test procedures to their children so they are not worried. We want all of our residents to understand, this is only a test."

The EAS message will include a reference to the WEA test: THIS IS A TEST of the National Emergency Alert System. This system was developed by broadcast and cable operators in voluntary cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Communications Commission, and local authorities to keep you informed in the event of an emergency. If this were a real emergency alert, an official message would follow the alert tone you heard at the start of this message.

This is the first time the Wireless Emergency Alert system has been tested on a national level, officials said, and allows most wireless customers to receive geo-targeted alerts of safety threats in their area. The October 3rd WEA test will be sent through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS). Cell towers will broadcast the WEA test for approximately 30 minutes.

WEA is used to warn the public about:

• Dangerous weather
• Missing children
• Other regionally critical situations through alerts on cellular phones

While each message will clearly state "THIS IS A TEST," and that no action is needed, Illinois State Police will work with local law enforcement and 911 call centers to prepare for the possibility of increased calls, as the Illinois State Board of Education works with schools to make sure parents and children are aware the test will happen during school hours.

Rebecca Bream and Shannon Antinori contributed to this report.

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