The Emergency Alert System (CAP): A nationwide test for the Emergency Management System in the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET

“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.

FEMA must conduct national tests of the Integrated Public Alert& Warning System every three years. The final national test was in 2021.

The phone should not receive the test message if the phone is off before the test alert is sent and not turned back on.

If you know you’ll be listening to music for a long time, it’s a good idea to get a customer service call at 1:45PM today, even if you’ve been avoiding it.

The FCC and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have run a test to make sure they’re ready for emergencies. The aim of the test is to ensure the emergency messaging system is running smoothly in the event Americans are threatened by natural disasters, terrorism or other dangers to public safety.

TVs and radios that are turned on and tuning to either over- the air broadcasts or actively show cable and satellite feeds, will also play a similar message to those shown on cell phones. FEMA writes on a page about the Emergency Alert System that this is done “in close partnership with state, local, tribal, and territorial authorities.”

The test requires coordination between the government, wireless carriers, cable and satellite providers and local broadcasters. All of the major wireless carriers in the country will, during a 30-minute window, transmit the test to all of their subscribers’ phones that are within range of a cell tower and capable of receiving it.

According to the site of FEMA, CAP can be used for edge cases like emergency telephone networks, sirens, or digital road signs, and that they could be sent through computers, game consoles, search engines, and social media. Imagine you’re watching a Twitch stream and an alert comes up.