Cellphone users can expect emergency alert test this afternoon

Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it will carry out nationwide tests Wednesday afternoon in which every active mobile phone across the United States will issue a loud warning tone.

The simultaneous tests of the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts, conducted in conjunction with the Federal Communications Commission, will affect every phone connected to a cell tower across the country, FEMA said.

Both tests are scheduled to begin at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

The purpose of Wednesday's test is to "ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level," FEMA officials said in a statement.

In case the test is postponed due to widespread severe weather or other significant events, the back-up testing date is Oct. 11.

The WEA portion of the test will be directed to all consumer cell phones -- the second such test affecting phones after a similar one that went out in 2021. It will include a loud, distinct tone, vibration and a message displayed in either English or in Spanish, depending on the language settings of the wireless handset.

The message will read, "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed."

It is being conducted using FEMA's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, or IPAWS, a centralized internet-based system that enables authorities to send authenticated emergency messages to the public through multiple communications networks.

Meanwhile, the EAS portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions with the help of radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers and wireline video providers.

It is scheduled to last 1 minute and will display the message, "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."

The EAS was launched in 1997 to replace the Emergency Broadcast System and is often used regionally to inform residents about emergencies like AMBER Alerts and weather-related events. The Wireless Emergency Alert System was established by Congress in the mid-2000s.