For those who didn’t get the alert, here’s what you can do
It was the alert heard round the nation. At 2:18 p.m. (EDT) on Oct. 3, the Federal Emergency Management Agency tested its Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system. There were three loud tones that accompanied a message that read “Presidential Alert. THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
It was the first test of FEMA’s high-level Presidential Alert system. You can’t opt out of it and, by law, the president may only use it in the case of a national emergency.
Wednesday, the alert sounded on hundreds of millions of electronic devices nationwide. Some devices received more than one alert. Some, none at all.
FEMA wants your feedback
Social media lit up Wednesday with comments from people who said they did not receive the alert. FEMA said the test messages were “successfully originated and disseminated” and that all wireless provider gateways acknowledged receipt of the test message, according to multiple media outlets.
Only WEA compatible cell phones that were switched on and within range of an active cell tower, and whose wireless provider participates in WEA were capable of receiving the test message. Users who were on a call or who had an active data session open on their phone might not have received it.
If you didn’t get the alert or just want to provide feedback, FEMA wants to hear from you. The agency is seeking information to help determine the effectiveness of the Presidential Alert system, including:
- Whether your mobile device displayed one, more or no WEA test messages;
- The make, model and operating system version of your mobile device;
- Your wireless service provider;
- Whether the device was turned on and in the same location for at least 30 minutes after the start of the test (2:18 p.m. ET);
- The location of the device (as precise as possible), including the device’s environment (e.g. indoors or outdoors, rural or urban, mobile or stationary);
- Whether you are normally able to make calls, receive texts, or use apps at that location;
- Whether the mobile device was in use at the time of the alert (for a call or a data session); and
- Whether anyone else at your location received the WEA test alert message.
Email your feedback to [email protected].
Updated Oct. 3 @9:45pm
