At 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, you may notice your phone make a sound … along with the phones of everyone around you, at the very same time.
That will also coincide with a message on your television if you’re watching.
What’s the deal with that? Here’s the answer: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be conducting a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System on Wednesday, Oct. 4, which makes sure that in the case of an actual emergency, we can all be alerted.
So no need to panic — as the alerts on our TVs used to say back in the day, “this is only a test.”
TODAY: There will be a nationwide emergency alert test on cell phones, wireless devices, radios, and TVs.
2:20 p.m. ET
1:20 p.m. CT
12:20 p.m. MT
11:20 a.m. PT
10:20 a.m. AKT
8:20 a.m. HTInformation from @FEMA_Deanne ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/aLSTpvhJzN
— FEMA (@fema) October 4, 2023