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Electronic devices sounded off across the United States as the Federal Emergency Management agency conducted an emergency alert test.
The tone sounded at 2:18pm EDT (Eastern Daylight Time) on Wednesday.
The subject read Presidential Alert and the text read: “This is a test of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
It is the first test of the national wireless emergency system by Fema.
📳 TODAY (10/3): At 2:18 PM EDT, we will be testing the Wireless Emergency Alert system nationwide. Expect a message box on your phone along with a loud tone and vibration.
Questions? Visit https://t.co/Op8T9AEpiF pic.twitter.com/cCXJGGObPP
— FEMA (@fema) October 3, 2018
The message was broadcast on mobile phone towers for 30 minutes.
Some people got the alert multiple times and others did not get it at all.
Fema estimated about 225 million electronic devices, or about 75% of all mobile phones in the country, would receive the alert.
It has not said yet whether the test went well.
The system test is for a high-level “presidential” alert that would be used only in a nationwide emergency.
The goal is to have phones get the alert at the same time.
