FEMA to Send National Emergency Alert Today

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will conduct its first national test of the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system on Wednesday. The WEA test will be sent at 2:18 p.m., alongside a national Emergency Alert System (EAS) test at 2:20 p.m. The WEA test message will have a header that reads “Presidential Alert” and text that says “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” While this is the first national test, the system is used by local officials to alert people to severe weather and Amber Alerts. FEMA notes that users cannot opt out of the test.