Emergency Test. This is only a test. Oct 4th 2:20 PM

[Leo99]

I hadn't heard about this until just now. The test will be on TV, radio, and cell phones.

Test Messages Will be Sent to All TVs, Radios and Cell Phones

WASHINGTON -- FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) this fall.

The national test will consist of two portions, testing WEA and EAS capabilities. Both tests are scheduled to begin at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 4.

The WEA portion of the test will be directed to all consumer cell phones. This will be the third nationwide test, but the second test to all cellular devices. The test message will display in either English or in Spanish, depending on the language settings of the wireless handset.

The EAS portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions. This will be the seventh nationwide EAS test.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

I got nothing.

 

[simple_gifts]

I got nothing.

Perhaps a visit to the RIF truck in your area is advised.

 

[PimTac]

In my lifetime I have only heard it done once for a real emergency. It was the Emergency Broadcast System then.

May 18, 1980.

 

[bbhero]

In my lifetime I have only heard it done once for a real emergency. It was the Emergency Broadcast System then.

May 18, 1980.

Mt St Helen’s… yeah. That would cause it to go off for real when you were that close to it.

 

[earlyre]

I got nothing.

Its still a month away...

 

[Owen Lucas]

Release the conspiracy theories!

Seriously though, interesting to see these alerts come through and how the system works. Not sure how they can tell they are received though, maybe their is a hidden confirmation signal sent back upon receipt?

 

[bbhero]

We used to have these routinely back when I was a child. Typically every month in fact. That was done until the late 1980s. Then after that it was done every 2-3 months after that time.

 

[bbhero]

I don’t know for sure but given how things are right now in the world.

I wonder what time that famous clock’s second hand is at now ?

I’d bet a good, good amount of money it has definitely moved closer to midnight.

 

[bbhero]

Release the conspiracy theories!

Seriously though, interesting to see these alerts come through and how the system works. Not sure how they can tell they are received though, maybe their is a hidden confirmation signal sent back upon receipt?

It’s like in that Terminator movie when the resistance had that signal they were given by Skynet that shut down their machines instantly.

Same concept.

 

[Skippy722]

I got nothing.

If you have an iPhone make sure they’re on, if you want to receive them. Settings>Notifications>all the way at the bottom.

I would be irritated being woken up by that so I have them off.

 

[PimTac]

We used to have these routinely back when I was a child. Typically every month in fact. That was done until the late 1980s. Then after that it was done every 2-3 months after that time.

Was that the EBS?

We had the Civil Defense sirens go off every Wednesday at noon. Then like you said, sometime in the late 80’s they stopped.

I know a guy who worked for the city. When they started to take the sirens down some years afterwards he took one home. He got power to it and energized it in the basement. His wife nearly killed him.

 

[MParr]

I’m not participating.

 

[bbhero]

Was that the EBS?

We had the Civil Defense sirens go off every Wednesday at noon. Then like you said, sometime in the late 80’s they stopped.

I know a guy who worked for the city. When they started to take the sirens down some years afterwards he took one home. He got power to it and energized it in the basement. His wife nearly killed him.

Yeah that was it. Was routine all throughout the 1980s.

I watched the news every night at 630 pm with my mom and dad. I figured out relatively quickly what the whole circumstance was all about.

I wasn’t going around afraid or even thinking of that stuff. I learned about the world and other countries a whole lot by just watching the news. Then when I was in 2nd grade I got a very large folding world map and I learned even more countries.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Alberta resident received an “emergency alert” on their cell phones to reduce power consumption because the system was within 200 ( I just edited this) megawatts of getting maxed out. The funny thing was one of the suggestions was to turn some of your lights out. Turn some of your lights out? With LED lights that most homes have that would help as much as asking people to eat pork and beans so they can warm their house with their farts! There are government geniuses in the power business as well.

 

[supton]

My first thought, cooking with a microwave saves electricity? how?

Then I remembered I have a gas stove, lol.

Not good, telling people to cut power usage.

 

[Snagglefoot]

My first thought, cooking with a microwave saves electricity? how?

Then I remembered I have a gas stove, lol.

Not good, telling people to cut power usage.

In Alberta, the biggie would’ve been plugging in block heaters as they typically use over 1 kw, and in Edmonton, a city of over a million people, the temperature got down to -40 F ( or C, no difference). A great many people do not have heated garages to park their vehicles and they know about block heaters.

 

[supton]

In Alberta, the biggie would’ve been plugging in block heaters as they typically use over 1 kw, and in Edmonton, a city of over a million people, the temperature got down to -40 F ( or C, no difference). A great many people do not have heated garages to park their vehicles and they know about block heaters.

Yeah, I could see that. I was also thinking about those space heaters, they can be really nice for putting heat right where it's needed, as opposed to heating the whole room or house. Bit hard to cut back in winter.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Yeah, I could see that. I was also thinking about those space heaters, they can be really nice for putting heat right where it's needed, as opposed to heating the whole room or house. Bit hard to cut back in winter.

As @OVERKILL pointed out the fleet of windmills pooped their pants in the -30 to -40 C weather and was a direct reason for the Emergency Alert. Meanwhile, Alberta’s last coal plant hummed along quite nicely, than you very much.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Alberta resident received an “emergency alert” on their cell phones to reduce power consumption because the system was within 2 megawatts of getting maxed out. The funny thing was one of the suggestions was to turn some of your lights out. Turn some of your lights out? With LED lights that most homes have that would help as much as asking people to eat pork and beans so they can warm their house with their farts! There are government geniuses in the power business as well.

4m residents of Alberta, let's say 1.5M turned off two led lamps,

2x 7W(1,5M) = 21 Megawatts

Helps a bit.