WASHINGTON - Federal emergency officials will conduct a nationwide test of the U.S. emergency alert system in August and will assess the delivery of such alerts to wireless customers for the first time ever.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, will test both the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) at 2:20 p.m.
ET on Aug. 11.Both emergency alert systems are the two main components of the country’s public warning system, maintained by FEMA, the FCC and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service.The EAS is commonly used by state and local authorities to deliver important emergency information, such as weather.