Anyone with a cellphone in the United States will hear an alarm go off on their device on October 4.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), at approximately 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time, a national test will be conducted of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts.
The message on all consumer phones will read “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
Those whose device is set to Spanish will receive a message that says “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”
FEMA says the purpose of the test “is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level.