Have you heard about the Nationwide Emergency Alert System? As kids, many of us might have heard sirens going off each month to announce an emergency message; this alert would notify us to tune in our televisions or radios to get important Civil Defense information.  Most alerts were just for practice.  Well the government is at it again!  On Wednesday, November 9, 2011, FEMA, DHS and FCC will conduct the first national test of the Nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) test. This nationwide test will kick off at 2:00 p.m. (EST) and run concurrently across all time zones. This system test is the first of its kind designed to broadcast a nationwide message to the American public. In the history of the country, nothing like it has been conducted on such a level. As you may be aware, there have been tests in the past, but not of this magnitude encompassing all regions of the Nation simultaneously. The test will occur simultaneously across the United States and the U.S. territories and will last approximately 30 seconds, after which regular programming will resume. The test will appear on all broadcast radio and television stations, cable television systems, satellite radio and television systems, and wire-line video service systems. The test will not involve land-line or mobile phones or other infrastructure such as power grids. There is great concern in local police and emergency management circles about undue public anxiety over this test. The test message on TV might not indicate that it is just a test. There is concern that the lack of an explanation regarding the message might create panic. Please share this information with your family and friends so they are aware of the test.

For more information please visit these links:

https://nationaldialogue-emergencyalertsystem.ideascale.com/

http://www.fema.gov/eastest/