Don’t be caught by surprise!

A nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) test will be conducted Wednesday and radios, televisions and certain cellphones will be alerted.

The emergency alert system, or EAS, test will take place Wednesday, Aug. 11 at 2:20 p.m. ET (1:20 p.m. CT). It will include messages sent to radios and televisions as well as Wireless Emergency Alerts, or WEA, for those who have opted in on their cell phones.

The EAS test will include a high-pitched tone followed by a message. The message will say:

“THIS IS A TEST of the National Emergency Alert System. This system was developed by broadcast and cable operators in voluntary cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Communications Commission, and local authorities to keep you informed in the event of an emergency. If this had been an actual emergency an official message would have followed the tone alert you heard at the start of this message. No action is required.”

The WEA message will say:

“THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”

The alert is the sixth nationwide EAS test. It is the second national test of the WEA but the first directed only at those who opt-in to receive the text messages. You can go here to get more information on opting in or opting out of the cell phone messages.

“Public safety officials need to make sure when an emergency or disaster happens, that they have a process and system that will send out important alerts and warnings to the public,” FEMA said in a YouTube video.

The test could be canceled in the event of widespread severe weather. If that happens, the backup test date is Aug. 25.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)