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At 1 p.m., on Wednesday, November 9, 2011, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Administration), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will conduct the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System.

The testing will look at the readiness and effectiveness of the system as it exists today. The goal is to make the system more effective at delivering critical information in a timely manner and to explore other technologies and there possible use for this delivery.

During the test, listeners will hear a message indicating that "This is a test." Although the EAS Test may resemble the periodic, monthly test that most of us are familiar with, there will be some differences in what people will see and hear. The audio message will be the same for all EAS participants; however, due to the limitations in the EAS, the video test message scroll may not be the same or indicate that "This Is a Test." This is due to the fact that they will be using a live code - the same code that would be used in an actual emergency. The text at the top of your television screen may indicate that an Emergency Action Notification has been issued.

The test will last for approximately three minutes; however, this could vary across the country. While the State and local EAS messages are limited to 2 minutes, there is no time limit for national EAS alerts. To be able to evaluate whether the system properly interprets a national message in the national EAS test, the message must be longer than 2 minutes.[[In-content Ad]]

The November 9 date was chosen because it is near the end of the hurricane season and before the severe winter weather season. The 1 p.m., broadcast time will minimize disruption during busy hours, while ensuring that the test can occur during normal business hours.

This is a nationwide test and will run simultaneously on all broadcast media and will last for at least three minutes. Since you will not be able to escape the message by tuning to another station and the test is longer than a local EAS test, FEMA and other agencies including the Cass County Sheriff's Office are anticipating some listeners will be concerned and want to contact the local authorities and possibly load up the 911 call system. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Kerry Swenson, Cass County Emergency Management at 218-547-7437 or [email protected].

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