A nationwide emergency alert test will go out Wednesday afternoon
The Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in 2009 in Washington, D.C.Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images file
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — If you get a notification on your phone Wednesday afternoon about an emergency alert system, don’t be alarmed. The agencies FEMA and the Federal Communications Commissions are conducting a nationwide test of their emergency system.
The tests will begin at 2:20 p.m. The message will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” For phones set to Spanish, the message will read: “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”
Television and radio stations will also broadcast an emergency alert test starting at 2:20 p.m. FEMA says the test is to prepare for widespread emergencies such as extreme weather.