FEMA, FCC to test national emergency alert system on Wednesday

A nationwide emergency alert will be sent out at 11:20 a.m. Wednesday as a test of the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts.

The Wireless Emergency Alert portion of the alert test will only be sent to cell phones where the consumer has opted to receive test messages from WEA, according to a news release by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission.

The Emergency Alert System test will be sent to all radios and televisions in the U.S.

Regular testing of these alert systems allows officials to assess how well the infrastructure works in case of an emergency.

Click here to learn more about the alert tests.