By: Damon Penn, Assistant Administrator, National Continuity Programs
(Editor's note: updated 6:30pm EST)
After years of hard work with all of our partners, and months of providing updates on this blog, today, FEMA, the FCC, NOAA and communications service providers, and many others administered our first-ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System. We are currently collecting data about the initial results, and it will take the test’s participants several weeks to send us the full results of their tests.
As we have been explaining throughout this process, this initial test was the first time we have gotten a sense of the reach and scope of this technology. It was our opportunity to get a sense of what worked, what didn’t and additional improvements that need to be made to the system as we move forward. It’s only through comprehensively testing, analyzing, and improving these technologies that we can ensure the most effective and reliable emergency alert and warning systems available at a moment’s notice in a time of real national emergency.
This nationwide test served the purpose for which it was intended – to identify gaps and generate a comprehensive set of data to help strengthen our ability to communicate during real emergencies. Based on preliminary data, media outlets in large portions of the country successfully received the test message, but it wasn’t received by some viewers or listeners.
As we often say here at FEMA, we’re just one part of a much, much larger team. To prepare for this test FEMA worked closely with state and local officials, the broadcast community, as well as nongovernmental organizations including the disability and faith-based communities.
So now that the test has occurred, we know many of you may be wondering…what next?
Well, first, we’ll be spending the next few weeks gathering test result data from the test’s participants, and feedback from all of our stakeholders. Under the FCC’s rules, test participants have 45 days from the date of the test to analyze their data and provide a full report to the FCC on the scope and reach of the test. In the meantime, FEMA is also interested in hearing from any stakeholders who want to share feedback about how the test worked and ways we can continue to improve it. We encourage you to email us at ipaws@dhs.gov with any tips, suggestions or input you may have.
And looking ahead, this test was just the beginning of our much larger efforts to strengthen and upgrade our nation’s public alert and warning system.
As we work to build a more modern system, we will continue to test the other newer technologies and communications tools that are also going to be part of our public alert and warning networks, such as cell phones, smart phones, the internet and social media networks.
So to all of our partners, including the public, we want to thank you for your role in helping make this test happen. We look forward to working with all of you to incorporate the lessons learned from this test as we keep working a robust, resilient, and fully accessible next generation alerting system that can provide timely and accurate alerts to the American people.
The Emergency Alert System Has Been Tested – What Next?
Last Updated:
06/18/2012 - 15:37
Comments
it failed...
Lot of people posting that the test was a #fail
Next time maybe you could test it also on mobile d...
3:58pm EST and the test is still going for both my...
It's good that someone rembember it, why not t...
I also e-mailed this: To whom it may concern: We ...
Had Background noises like more of the alert tone ...
Well, if any of our enemies wanted to make sure th...
I heard nothing about a test or the test itself in...
The alert did not appear on either WAMU 88.5FM (Wa...
I did not have the radio or TV on, but people are ...
I subscribe to the FEMA alerts via text message, b...
Not very reassuring that the signal was not able t...
Husband was watching cable tv at 2:00 and heard no...
As a UK citizen I can only say that I wish that we...
didn't come on the TV in our house- foster cit...
in puerto rico was 40 seconds .EXCELLENT JOB
Needs, at a minimum, a Twitter component. Twitter ...
The test seemed to work okay on DirecTV... Lady G...
When the test commenced at 2:00 PM, we had the rad...
If I don't have a TV or radio how will I ever ...
I monitored the EAS test on several frequencies. ...
Did FEMA send this test to any cell phones? Why no...
I live in Albany OR. I had the radio on an fm Eug...
I monitored a TV Station, Radio Station and an Int...
Test seen at about 1303 CST on WISN channel 12 out...
I saw the national EAS test on a cable channel in ...
If it ran it did not run in Sapulpa, OK...neither ...
Indianapolis, Indiana 46203 I have Brighthouse Cab...
I have sirius satelite radio and it did not work. ...
WHWC 88.3 in Eau Claire Wisconsin had the computer...
Fail in Alabama
I was waiting for the alert on Fox New. A little a...
Did not come on DISH TV here in NE North Carolina....
NOAA was not participating in the EAN TEST
I am subscribed to your E-Mail, but did not receiv...
Tie the alerts in with local siren systems, which ...
I am from Grand Rapids, MI and while I was at my l...
Granted, some people received the signal, some peo...
NOAA was most certainly participating. read the fi...
In this age of instantaneous, multimedia communica...
I have Time Warner cable serving Sun Valley CA At ...
Was watching Nickelodeon (Comcast) in Richmond IN ...
Not a single call letter station in NW Ohio receiv...
Didnt work too well. Not even one second on the TV...
Much background noise made the announcer hard to h...
Local weather radio did not respond to test, maybe...
That was a really messy test, but as indicated, it...
Was there supposed to be another test tonight, bec...
I was montoring Dish satellite channels Encore Wes...
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