The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it will conduct a nationwide test of its Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts to ensure they’re working properly.
The test is scheduled to begin at 2:20 pm EST on Wednesday, Oct. 4, and will broadcast for about 30 minutes, during which time wireless phones that are on and in range of an active cell tower will also receive a test message.
According to FEMA, “this will be the third nationwide test, but the second test to all WEA-compatible cellular devices.” The alerts will “ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level.”
TODAY: There will be a nationwide emergency alert test on cell phones, wireless devices, radios, and TVs.
— FEMA (@fema) October 4, 2023
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. HT
Information from @FEMA_Deanne ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/aLSTpvhJzN
Americans across the country will experience this test on the same day Russians also tested their public warning system.
According to Reuters, sirens went off at 10:40 a.m. Moscow time alerting people, “Attention, everyone. The readiness of warning systems is being checked, please remain calm.”
A statement from the Ministry of Emergency Situations informed residents that when the siren is heard, they should remain calm and turn on the radio or television to listen to the information being broadcast.
"The warning system is designed to timely convey a signal to the population in the event of a threat or emergency of a natural or man-made nature,” the statement noted.
Russia's test comes days after The New York Times reported that Moscow "may be preparing to test an experimental nuclear-powered cruise missile — or may have recently tested one — with a theoretical range of thousands of miles."
Movements of aircraft and vehicles at and near a base in Russia’s remote Arctic region are consistent with preparations that were made for tests of the missile, known as the Burevestnik or SSC-X-9 Skyfall, in 2017 and 2018, according to a New York Times analysis.
U.S. surveillance planes have also been tracked in the area over the last two weeks, and aviation alerts have warned pilots to avoid nearby airspace.
Russia previously conducted 13 known tests between 2017 and 2019, all of which were unsuccessful, according to a report from the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a nonprofit group focused on arms control. And mishaps can be deadly. A missile launched in 2019 crashed and eventually exploded during a recovery attempt, killing seven people, according to U.S. officials. (NYT)