Today Every Phone Will Do This One Thing In New York

Today every phone in New York will all do the same thing at the same time.

FEMA will be running a test of the emergency alert system and will be sending out a test alert to every phone in New York and across the county.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT MY PHONE TO DO DURING THE TEST?

According to FEMA, right around 2:20 pm, cell towers will broadcast the test for approximately 30 minutes. During this time, any WEA-compatible wireless phones that are switched on, within range of an active cell tower, and whose wireless provider participates in WEA, will receive the test message.

WHAT WILL THE TEST MESSAGE SAY?

The message that appears on their phones will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” If the main language on your phone is set to Spanish you will see the message “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”

HOW LONG WILL THE TEST LAST?

The EAS audio portion of the test should last a minute and it will be the same sound that you will hear on the radio and television.

CAN I OPT OUT OF THE TEST?

You cannot. If your phone is on and your wireless provider has opted into the test, your phone will get the message. If you want to miss the message, you can turn your phone off.

WHY IS FEMA CONDUCTING THE TEST?

FEMA is making sure they can reach the most amount of people the quickest if there is a national emergency.