Wireless Emergency Alerts are sent to people’s cellphones across the country during certain “critical situations,” including dangerous weather events and times when there are missing children. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission will be issuing nationwide test alerts Wednesday for Wireless Emergency Alerts and Emergency Alert Systems, officials said. If you get an emergency alert on your phone Wednesday afternoon, don’t be alarmed. Wednesday’s WEA test, which will be sent around 2:18 p.m. EDT, will have the same tone and vibration pattern as the typical tornado warning and AMBER alert WEA messages, according to a statement from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. Advertisement Cellphones must be turned on and within range of an active cell tower to receive the test message, and some phones may not receive the message at all. The message will have an audible tone, and the text will read, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed,” officials said. The Emergency Alert System is a national warning system that allows the president to communicate messages to the public during national emergencies. Wednesday’s one-minute test message will be received around 2:20 p.m. only by EAS participants, which include radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers, and wireline video providers, officials said. “Participating television and radio broadcasters will sound an audible tone and will display a message that is similar to regular monthly EAS test messages with which the public is familiar,” according to the statement. The test messages were supposed to be sent out Sept. 20, but the transmission was postponed until Wednesday amid the emergency response during and after the landfall of Hurricane Florence on the East Coast. Andres Picon can be reached at andres.picon@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @andpicon.<doc-sep>Editor's Note: The presidential test alert was successfully sent Wednesday, Oct. 3. Read the latest story here . It's the alert that – if it's real – you won't want to get again. For the first time ever Wednesday, Americans nationwide will receive an alert on their cellphones from President Trump. The test, scheduled for 2:18 p.m. ET, is the first test of a national presidential alert system that will let any president issue a warning about a crisis. That could include a missile launched by another country at the U.S. or a tsunami. First on "CBS This Morning," we got an inside look at the new system with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials ahead of the test. "When those messages appear on mobile devices, people should take those extremely seriously," FEMA's Antwane Johnson told CBS News correspondent Anna Werner. "It has some direct impact on either life or safety." Johnson directs the agency's public alert warning system that will send out the nationwide test of the presidential alert Wednesday. "If we have something that's of national significance, we can rapidly notify the American public of that event," Johnson said. Government agencies nationwide have issued more than 40,000 emergency alerts to cellphones since 2012. But those Amber and weather alerts target specific regions. This new presidential alert will be nationwide and only used for advance warning of national crises. "It should be reserved for true situations, true emergencies when we need to get the public's attention," former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said, adding it is designed to be used very specifically – and rarely. "This is something that should not be used for a political agenda," Jeh Johnson said. That's especially important because no one can opt out of these alerts, he said. "Now you know you say presidential alert and some people are thinking, 'Aw man, I see President Trump sending out Twitter messages all day long. Does this mean I'm going to get whatever message President Trump wants to send out through this alert system now?'" Werner said. "No, not at all. One thing that we need make very clear is that there are laws, policies and procedures that are in place, other protocols to assure that the system is used in accordance with its intended use as defined by the law," Johnson responded. Alerts are not foolproof however. In January, Hawaii's emergency management agency mistakenly sent out an alert warning of a ballistic missile threat to more than a million cellphones. Mistakes like that could make people nervous about this new nationwide alert. "The fact that you can't turn this alert off, that it will be something that will arrive on your phone whether you like it or not, I think was perhaps upsetting and concerning to some people," said Andy Whitehouse, who teaches communications at Columbia University. Three New Yorkers filed a federal lawsuit last week attempting to block the test, saying it violates free speech and is an unconstitutional seizure of electronic devices. The test will set off the same loud sound used for other alerts. If your cell is on and you have service, you will likely receive it and cannot stop it.<doc-sep>Americans will receive a text message this week as part of a Wireless Emergency Alert System test, after pushback and Hurricane Florence delayed the initial distribution of the national message. The test has been scheduled to ensure that the alert system would work in the event of a national emergency, and US cellphone users will not be able to opt out. The message will read: "This is a test of the National Wireless emergency Alert System. No action is needed." The administration will send a test alert via radio and television broadcasters two minutes after the cell phone alert. It will interrupt programming for about one minute, according to a statement from the Federal Emergency and Management Agency (FEMA). The test message was originally scheduled for last month but was pushed back to 3 October because of response efforts to Hurricane Florence, FEMA said. Recommended Trump FEMA chief partially blames Puerto Rico deaths on spousal abuse Meanwhile, legal experts have said the system may not be legal if Donald Trump used it to send personal messages, while other analysts argued it may not even be necessary to alert the public about major national events or natural disasters. Former President Barack Obama signed a law in 2016 requiring FEMA to create a system allowing the president to send cellphone alerts regarding public safety emergencies. The country’s wireless emergency alert system was started in 2012 and has issued over 36,000 alerts for situations such as missing children, extreme weather and natural disasters, but never a presidential directive. Cellphone users can opt out of natural disaster or missing children alerts, but will not be able to avoid the presidential alert system. Still, many analysts say that’s a good thing. In its statement last week on the test messages, FEMA said the presidential alerts can be used only for national emergencies and the president has sole responsibility for determining when such alerts are used. ✕ Video shows false emergency alert warning of a ballistic missile in Hawaii The administration announced in July that it would schedule the test alert for September. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its role in planning the test alert. Cell towers will broadcast the WEA test for approximately 30 minutes beginning at 2:18 p.m. There have been issues with prior state alerts. In January, Hawaii issued a false alert of a missile attack that went uncorrected for 38 minutes after being transmitted to mobile phones and broadcast stations, causing widespread panic across the Pacific islands state. In April, the FCC blamed that false alarm on human error and inadequate safeguards. A half century ago, before 24-hour cable news networks or the Internet, the three main television broadcast stations could be counted on to issue standard emergency messages to the entire U.S. population. Now, people in the path of natural disasters typically get alerts from a patchwork of state and local agencies, using different platforms and messaging systems, often manned by part-time employees, Reuters reported. For example, in the state of California, warnings are issued by counties that sometimes outsource the job to someone else. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire.<doc-sep>
Most Lane County cellphone users should expect to receive a “presidential alert” sent to their phones Wednesday afternoon when federal officials conduct the first-ever test of the country’s emergency communications system. The nationwide alert will simultaneously be sent out to cellphones across the country, reaching Oregon cellphones just before 11:20 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, according to a press release issued by the federal government. The test will have the same tone as AMBER alert warnings and will feature the words “Presidential Alert” and “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” Cell towers will broadcast the WEA test for about 30 minutes beginning at 11:18 a.m. Pacific time, according to government officials. The Wireless Emergency Alert system, or WEA, is used to warn the public about dangerous weather, missing children and other critical situations through alerts on cellphones. Immediately following the 11:18 a.m. WEA test will be an Emergency Alert System or EAS test at 11:20. While the wireless test is the first of its kind, the EAS test will be the fourth one the government has issued. The EAS is a national public warning system that allows the President the communications capability to address the nation during a national emergency via radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers. The EAS test has previously been issued in in November 2011, September 2016, and September 2017 in collaboration with the FCC, broadcasters, and emergency management officials in recognition of FEMA’s National Preparedness Month. The second EAS test alert is scheduled to last approximately one minute. Lane County spokeswoman Devon Ashbridge said Monday that the alert could be especially alarming to those who receive it while driving. "People who expect to be driving at the time of the test should be prepared to hear the alert tone and either pull over before checking their phones or wait until they arrive at their destination," Ashbridge said. Otherwise, she said, the test will probably be a helpful tool for local and federal agencies. "This nationwide test is a great opportunity to see how well one of the important tools governments use to communicate with residents during an emergency works," Ashbridge said. "As technology continues to evolve and become a more important part of our daily lives, testing the wireless emergency alert system is critical." All major cellphone providers and some smaller providers participate in the WEA system, meaning that most cellphones will receive the emergency test alerts, including Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and others. Cellphone users cannot opt out of receiving the test, according to the federal government. Ashbridge said agencies throughout the county often use tools to share emergency messaging to quickly get information to residents. Some of those tools include wireless alerts, television and radio broadcasts, social media and website postings, search and rescue volunteers, and local media. But Wednesday's alert will be provided by federal agencies, not local. "This is a federal test and has nothing to do with any local alert sign-up services," Ashbridge said. To receive a WEA message, cellphones must be WEA-capable, switched on and within range of a cell tower to receive service. The test is a joint effort of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission to determine whether and how well a national cell phone message is distributed. For more information about the federal test, visit fema.gov/emergency-alert-test. Follow Alisha Roemeling on Twitter @alisharoemeling. Email alisha.roemeling@registerguard.com.