Your cell phone (and everybody else’s) is getting an alert message today

Today, October 4, around 2:20 p.m., every cell phone in the U.S. will buzz, chirp, vibrate, or use some other unique sound indicator to note the arrival of an alert, containing the message: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”

The Oct. 4 test is the second nationwide test of cell phone alerts from the Emergency Alert System managed by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency).

The system test on Oct. 4 is coordinated by FEMA and the Federal Communications Commission. The alert message will be broadcast nationwide on radio and TV stations in addition to the phone alerts.

It’s not possible to opt out of the national wireless alert system, since all major wireless providers participate in FEMA’s system. Most people whose cell phones are turned on and located within range of an active cell tower during the test should receive the alert message.

However, if you don’t want to receive the alert, you can turn off your phone, or put your phone in airplane mode. According to FEMA, phones that are turned off for the entire 30-minute period from about 2:20 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. should not receive the alert when you turn on your phone again.

The test will help ensure that Wireless Emergency Alerts to phones and the Emergency Alert System for radio and TV continue to be effective ways to warn the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level.

For more about the test, visit the FEMA website.