Cell phone owners: Be prepared for EAS alert at 11:20 today

It’s the first test using cell phones as alert devices

PORT ORCHARD — Kitsap County folks who carry around a cell phone will be forgiven if, at about 11:20 a.m. today, they experience a bit of a freak-out. That’s because the Federal Emergency Management Agency, better known as FEMA, will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA).

The test will assess the systems and equipment used to alert the public in an emergency, and determine whether improvements are needed, according to a news release from Kitsap County.

While three other nationwide EAS tests have been conducted previously by FEMA, this is the first wireless test. The WEA test message will be sent to all cell phones served by participating wireless carriers. Users cannot opt out of the test, the release stated.

Cell towers will broadcast the WEA test for approximately 30 minutes beginning at 11:18 a.m. Pacific time. Compatible cell phones that are switched on and within range of an active cell tower should receive the test message. Some cell phones apparently won’t receive the test message, and users should only receive the message once.

The test message will have a header that reads “Presidential Alert” and text that reads: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”

The WEA system is a national public warning system that provides authorities with the ability to address the public during an emergency. The test will be carried by participating TV and radio stations, cable systems and satellite providers around 11:20 a.m. Pacific time and will last about a minute. The test message will be similar to the familiar weekly and monthly EAS tests.

American no doubt remember the botched EAS warning that alerted residents in Hawaii several months ago of an incoming ballistic missile. There was no missile on the way, of course; a slip of a disaster preparedness planner’s finger on a computer screen put the warning onto cell phone and television screens around the island, setting off a panic for several minutes before the correct information was sent out.