National EAS Test At 2:00 PM Wednesday

Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 6:29 AM

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) – No matter which television or radio station you have on at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, you should hear the words “this is a test.”

The Emergency Alert System, or EAS, gives alerts and warnings regarding severe weather, child abductions and other types of emergencies.

While EAS systems are tested weekly on the local level, Wednesday’s first ever nationwide test will be seen and heard on all radio, local television, cable and satellite television systems simultaneously. It will be induced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Communications Commission, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The FCC is using the test to see how reliable and effective the system works in case there ever was a nationwide emergency.

The test beginning at 2:00 p.m. EST is expected to last approximately one minute according to the Indiana Association of Broadcasters. All stations will then return to regular programming.

Local, state, and federal authorities have been spreading word of Wednesday’s national test for months.

“Since this is the first time testing this we want to make sure everyone is aware that it is a test only,” said Dearborn County Emergency Management Agency director Bill Black, Jr.

More information on the national EAS test is available on FEMA’s website, http://www.fema.gov/eastest/faqs.shtm.