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    • Test of Public Alert and Warning System scheduled for September 20

    September 17, 2018

    The mission of the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is to ensure the protection of life and property by providing coordination, guidance, support and assistance to local emergency managers and first responders.
    As part of that mission, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the West Virginia Broadcaster’s Association, wireless carrier, and others will coordinate to conduct a test assessing the capabilities of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA).
    Testing will be held Thursday, September 20, (primary date) or October 3 (alternative date).
    The WEA portion of the test message, for enabled cell phones, begins at 2:18 p.m. The EAS portion, for radio, satellite radio, cable and other television, will follow at 2:20 p.m.
    The test is intended to ensure that public safety officials have the methods and systems that will deliver urgent alerts and warning to the public in times of an emergency or disaster.
    The EAS test will last approximately one minute and will resemble the regular monthly EAS test message with which the public is familiar. The WEA test message will go out to all cell phone users with a compatible device whose wireless provider participates in WEA. The message will be titled, “Presidential Alert,” and use the same special tone and vibration as alerts received through this system when there are threats to public safety.
    More information is available at www.ready.gov/alerts

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