FYI - Upcoming Emergency Alert Test

[Ironhold]

The IPAWS National Test | FEMA.gov

On October 3rd those of us in the US will be having a scheduled test of the Emergency Alert System.

It's going to be a nation-wide test, and this time even cell phones are supposed to get messages.

So yeah - if your phone starts freaking out, now you'll know.

 

[Danielwright2311]

Thanks for the warning for the warning.

 

[Tinker Grey]

"I, President Donald J. Trump, do hereby declare martial law and my lifetime presidency."

 

[Desk trauma]

"I, President Donald J. Trump, do hereby declare martial law and my lifetime presidency."

I have been seeing articles about this text system form shortly after the inauguration of the current president and am anxiously awaiting its abuse so I may relax and embrace the banana republic life style.

 

[Ironhold]

I have been seeing articles about this text system form shortly after the inauguration of the current president and am anxiously awaiting its abuse so I may relax and embrace the banana republic life style.

This is going to be the 4th test of the EAS system since it started, and the first one to include cell phones.

Emergency Alert System - Wikipedia

According to Wikipedia, the first two tests ended in large-scale disaster. The first test in 2011 showed that the system was largely broken, such that 18% of stations either did not receive or did not re-transmit the alert. Oregon was especially hard-hit, as the designated primary point of entry for the region west of the Cascades was an NPR station that received such a poor-quality signal a lot of equipment at secondary stations didn't even recognize it as a signal.

The second test was better, but still demonstrated extensive failures.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

I am wondering just what kind of emergency requires a nationwide alert, short of an emergency that would wipe out all life on the planet and thus be worthless.

 

[Ironhold]

I am wondering just what kind of emergency requires a nationwide alert, short of an emergency that would wipe out all life on the planet and thus be worthless.

It's something that goes all the way back to the Cold War.

CONELRAD - Wikipedia

CONELRAD was created in 1951 so that the government could alert the general public of an impending disaster or a declaration of war.

It was replaced by the Emergency Broadcast System in 1963, and the Emergency Alert System replaced it in 1997. But all along the way there was still a requirement that the President be able to speak to the nation as a whole ASAP if something went massively wrong.

 

[Desk trauma]

I got my text. What a let down, still not total banana republic.

 

[Tanj]

I got my text. What a let down, still not total banana republic.

What did it say? Inquiring non US minds want to know. Also, anyone that hasn't individualized the ring tone/alert tone for whatever number this comes from has wasted a great opportunity.

Might I suggest "It's the end of the world (as we know it)" by REM.

 

[Desk trauma]

What did it say? Inquiring non US minds want to know.

Presidential Alert
THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.

As I said, quite the let down that the ever dwindling handful of adults in the room kept the president from hitching this to his twitter feed.

Also, anyone that hasn't individualized the ring tone/alert tone for whatever number this comes from has wasted a great opportunity.

Might I suggest "It's the end of the world (as we know it)" by REM.

It does not come from a number it just pops up as an alert. We already have a location based emergency alert system for severe weather this is just a national form of that, which I really don't see the need for.

 

[LostMarbels]

To put it simply, Trump is expecting mass civil unrest when the arrests begin to happen. This alert message goes back to the 2012 'conspiracy theory' of Obama's internet kill switch. In today's media circus Trump would not be able to communicate to America in a time of mass unrest. Twitter would block him. The MSM would continue to spin everything he said or has done, continuing to fight him at every turn, and pushing false narratives. The solution? Shut them down with the authority Obama gave to the executive office by executive order. Then Trump will be able to reach the people directly, unmolested or opposed, by sending these secure official Presidential messages.

The Order, “Assignment of National Security and Emergency Preparedness Communications Functions,” takes many of the US government’s existing emergency communications preparations, and codifies the exact responsibilities of the various US secretaries/departments and intelligence agencies. For the most part, the Order is very sensible; basically, no matter what — come hurricanes, earthquakes, or nuclear war — the US government “must have the ability to communicate at all times and under all circumstances to carry out its most critical and time sensitive missions.”

When we get to Section 5.2, however, there’s this interesting tidbit: “The Secretary of Homeland Security shall: … satisfy priority communications requirements through the use of commercial, Government, and privately owned communications resources, when appropriate.” In short, while it’s stressed that the government must have its own secure networks in place, the Executive Office reserves the right to do whatever it likes with commercial and private networks, in times of emergency or crisis.
US President issues Executive Order that gives him control of the internet - ExtremeTech

 

[Desk trauma]

To put it simply, Trump is expecting mass civil unrest when the arrests begin to happen

Morbid curiosity compels me, arrests of whom?

 

[Ironhold]

Presidential Alert
THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.

As I said, quite the let down that the ever dwindling handful of adults in the room kept the president from hitching this to his twitter feed.


It does not come from a number it just pops up as an alert. We already have a location based emergency alert system for severe weather this is just a national form of that, which I really don't see the need for.

It goes back to CONELRAD in the 1950s, when we were a sneeze away from global war.

Even though there's never been a time where the POTUS-level alert abilities have been invoked (Dubya didn't even activate them for 9/11, as the White House felt that the national news media had fulfilled that need), it's still a part of the system.