Town of Southampton, NY September 29, 2023 – The Southampton Town Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management has been made aware that there is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) scheduled for October 4, 2023.
According to FEMA, the test will involve both the EAS and WEA systems and should commence around 2:20PM Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday, October 4, 2023. EAS alerts are intended to deliver emergency messages over radios and televisions. Wireless Emergency Alerts delivers emergency messaging over the cellular network system. These systems are not station, channel or carrier specific and are utilized to broadly circulate emergency messages quickly in the event of an emergency incident, dangerous condition or disaster.
According to FEMA, the purpose of the Oct. 4 test is to ensure that the systems continue to be
effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level. In case the Oct. 4 test is postponed due to widespread severe weather or other significant events, the back-up testing date is Oct. 11th.
Any individuals with phones within range of an active cell tower should expect to receive a single message via the WEA system beginning at 2:20PM on Wednesday, October 4, 2023. The alert will be broadcast in both English and Spanish. The language that the message should be received in will be based on the settings in the menu of your phone. The message transmitted should indicate that, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed,” or, “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”
