Feds try to prevent War of the Worlds-style panic over national emergency alert

This Wednesday, November 9, at 2 pm eastern standard time, every TV broadcaster, cable channel, radio station, and satellite radio program from Puerto Rico to Missouri to American Samoa will be interrupted for 30 seconds by the federal government. Don't panic—there's no nuclear strike. But if there were a nuclear strike, this is how the feds would spread the word. It's the first-ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS), which hopes to provide key information immediately to all Americans in the event of a truly national emergency. This national system will look and sound much like the current (and local) emergency warnings often seen on TV or heard on radio, but the scope is larger and it can be put under the direct control of the President. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Weather Service (NWS) will all coordinate the test, but it's FEMA that actually transmits the alert code. Concerned that such ...

agencies agency alaska american americans commission communications disruption eas emergency est fcc feds fema government information limitations management missouri national nws pm president puerto rico samoa service states station stations television tv united worlds-style