Presidential Alert System Test Rolling Out Across the Country
by Sami Cone
Oct 03, 2018
If your cell phone starts buzzing today and you cannot turn it off, don't be alarmed: the Presidential Alert System test is rolling out across the country today.
According to ABC News, At 2:18 p.m. EDT today, almost every cell phone in the U.S. sounded an alarm and vibrated. The "Presidential Alert," orchestrated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was a test to see if FEMA’s nationwide wireless emergency alert system works as hoped and can reach most Americans in advance of a national crisis, such as a nuclear attack or terrorist attack in multiple cities.
📳 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.
— FEMA (@fema) October 3, 2018
Questions? Visit https://t.co/Op8T9AEpiF pic.twitter.com/cCXJGGObPP
While this may sound like a positive step towards safety, many citizens are pushing back on the fact that there is no way to opt out of the system. While it could prove to be helpful to have an alert of a national emergency, weather-related or otherwise, only time will truly tell what types of notifications will come across the Presidential Alert system.
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Sami Cone
Best-Selling Author & Speaker
Sami Cone is the best-selling author of "Raising Uncommon Kids", is known as the "Frugal Mom" on Nashville's top-rated talk show "Talk of the Town" and educates over a million listeners every day on her nationally syndicated "Family Money Minute". She is proud to call Nashville home with her husband, Rick, and their two teenage children.
