Expect Your Radio, TV, and Phone to Yell at You Today in the Noon Hour
Thought we'd give you a heads up that all of the phones around you are going to scare the crap out of you today at 12:20 local Mountain Standard Time. And even when you know it's coming, it's still makes you jump when it happens, because it's ALL radio stations, TVs, and cell phones, and it's LOUD.
The FCC and FEMA will do nationwide emergency alert tests today, so every person with a cell phone will get the alert at the same time. As you know, the alerts for radio and TV are called EAS or EBS tests. A little fact for the trivia folder in your head is the alert sent to cell phones is the WEA, Wireless Emergency Alert. The tests have been improving each time, one time there was a weird echo with the audio, another time the sound was at top volume, today's should be on point for the most part. This will be the 6th nationwide test for EAS and the 2nd nationwide for the WEA.
Obviously they have to test this stuff to ensure public safety in times of national emergency. The National EAS has never actually been used for a national emergency, however, it's been used tens of thousands of times to alert communities of local emergencies and severe weather.
So there's your warning, TODAY AT 12:20, when a lot of people are in their cars for the lunch hour, meaning you're going to get the alert on your radio and phone, and so will everyone around you.