[NFBOK-Talk] Nationwide Emergency Test (Nov 9th!) Test

[Glenda]

Please read the message below and share with others.

 

Glenda Farnum

NFB OK Legislative Coordinator

 

On November 9th FEMA, DHS and FCC will conduct the first national test of the

 

Nationwide Emergency Alert System test. This test will kick off

 

at 1:00 p.m. (CST). The test will be nationwide, running concurrently across

 

all time zones.

 

This system test is the first of its kind. It is designed to broadcast a

 

nationwide message to the American public. Nothing like it has been

 

conducted in the history of the country. There have been tests in the past but

 

none to all parts of the Nation at the same time. The test will

 

run concurrently on all radio and TV band and the message will run for three

 

minutes. Most messages in the past were anywhere from 30 seconds

 

to 1 minute.

 

There is great concern in local police and emergency management circles about

 

undue public anxiety over this test. The test message on TV might

 

not indicate that it is just a test. Fear is that the lack of an explanation

 

message might create panic.  Please share this information

 

with your family and friends so they are aware of the test.

 

 

Below is additional information, along with two websites, that will provide

 

more information...

 

 

What will people hear and see during the Test?

 

During the test, listeners will hear a message indicating that "This is a

 

test." Although the EAS Test may resemble the periodic, monthly EAS

 

tests that most Americans are already familiar with, there will be some

 

differences in what viewers will see and hear. The audio message will be

 

the same for all EAS participants; however due to 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 use of the live EAN code - the same code

 

that would be used in an actual emergency. The text at the top of

 

the television screen may indicate that an "Emergency Alert Notification has

 

been issued."  This notification is used to disseminate a national alert and

 

in this case, the test. In addition, the background image that appears on video

 

screens during an alert may indicate that "this is a test," but in some

 

instances there might not be an image at all.

 

 

There are several limitations to the current EAS for individuals with access

 

and functional needs. FEMA and the FCC are committed to providing

 

organizations and the EAS community with information well in advance of the

 

Test. FEMA and the FCC will further engage the EAS community to

 

better understand the wide range of information and access needs in

 

preparation for the national EAS. IPAWS has been performing outreach to

 

access and functional needs organizations in several different forums,

 

including working groups and roundtables led by the FEMA Office of

 

Disability Integration and Coordination, with representation from multiple

 

FEMA program offices, other Department of Homeland Security

 

components, and other Federal Departments and Agencies.

 

http://www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/eas_info.shtm/ 

 

https://nationaldialogue-emergencyalertsystem.ideascale.com  <https://nationaldialogue-emergencyalertsystem.ideascale.com%20%20>   

 

Here are the official links from FCC, FEMA and DHS.  This test of the

 

Nationwide Emergency Alert System is official and will kick off at Wednesday,

 

9 November 2011 at 1400 ET

 

http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/emergency-alert-system-nationwide-test/ 

 

http://www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/eas_info.shtm/ 

 

http://blog.dhs.gov/2011/10/fema-blog-emergency-alert-system-test.html/ 

 

Here is a video message about the test from the FCC -

 

http://transition.fcc.gov/email_camp/media/30SEC_EAS_PSA_open-C1.mov/  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

________________________________ 

The contents of this electronic message, including attachments, are transmitted by the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services, an Oklahoma government entity. This message is intended for use by the named addressee only and may contain information that is confidential or private according to state or federal laws. The views and opinions expressed herein are the sender's and may not reflect the official position of OKDRS. If you have received this electronic message in error, please notify the sender by a "reply to sender only" message, delete it completely from your computer and maintain confidentiality of the message. Any unauthorized disclosure, distribution, or use of the contents of this message is prohibited and subjects the user to penalty of law.

  ­­  

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbok-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20111027/b7bc80b9/attachment.html>