FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: PUBLIC INFORMATION
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS REMIND FLORIDIANS OF THE FIRST NATIONWIDE TEST OF THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM
~TEST to Take Place November 9 at 2 p.m. EST~
TALLAHASSEE -- Emergency Management officials are asking Floridians to take note that on November 9 at 2:00 p.m. eastern standard time, the federal government will conduct the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The test will last for 30 seconds. During this period, regularly scheduled television, radio, cable, and satellite shows will be interrupted as the system is being tested. The Division aims to ensure that Florida's residents and visitors are aware that this event is only a test, and not an actual emergency alert.
"In conjunction with our local, county and state agency partners, the Division wants to alert all residents to this important event, and make them aware of the significance of this system's ability to deliver emergency notifications across the country," said Bryan Koon, Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. "This test will provide important conformational data on the capabilities of the system should it ever need to be activated for an actual emergency."
Under the FCC's rules, radio and television broadcasters, cable operators, satellite digital audio radio service providers, direct broadcast satellite service providers and wireline video service providers are required to receive and transmit presidential EAS messages to the public. A national test will help federal partners and EAS participants determine the reliability of the system, as well as its effectiveness in notifying the public of emergencies and potential dangers both nationally and regionally. The test will also provide the FCC and FEMA a chance to identify improvements that may need to be made to build a modernized and fully accessible Emergency Alert System.
The Division, in partnership with local, county and agency officials, encourages residents to use this event as a reminder of the importance of establishing an emergency plan as well as an
emergency preparedness kit for themselves, their families, communities, and businesses. For more information about the nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, visit
www.Ready.gov. For more information about how to prepare for and stay informed about what to do in the event of an actual emergency and to GET A PLAN!, please visit the Florida Division of Emergency Management's homepage:
www.FloridaDisaster.org. Follow us on Twitter at
www.Twitter.com/FLSERT and on Facebook at
www.Facebook.com/FloridaSERT.
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