OSWEGO COUNTY – A nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on Wednesday, Aug. 11, will reach Oswego County residents as well as the region, Oswego County Emergency Management Office Director Cathleen Palmitesso said.

Palmitesso noted the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have announced a coordinated test of the EAS and WEA capabilities beginning at 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 11.

“This test could show up as text messages for Oswego County residents, or they could see or hear EAS messages on broadcast media,” Palmitesso said. “This is a great opportunity for people to be aware of these programs. EAS and WEA can be effective tools in warning the public about emergencies, particularly on a national level.

“In local emergencies, the Oswego County E-911 Center uses a mass-dialing program called Hyper-Reach to inform residents about an emergency affecting them,” Palmitesso said. “County residents should make sure their cell phones are registered with this program by visiting the E-911 Center’s page on the Oswego County website, www.oswegocounty.com and choosing Hyper-Reach Emergency Notification.”

According to FEMA, the Wireless Emergency Alert portion of the test will be directed only to consumer cell phones where the subscriber has opted-in to receive test messages. This will be the second nationwide WEA test, but the first nationwide WEA test on a consumer opt-in basis. The test message will display in either English or in Spanish, depending on the language settings of the wireless handset.

The Emergency Alert System (EAS) portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions. This will be the sixth nationwide EAS test.

FEMA and the FCC are coordinating with EAS participants, wireless providers, emergency managers and other stakeholders in preparation for this national test to minimize confusion and to maximize the public safety value of the test. The test is intended to ensure public safety officials have the methods and systems that will deliver urgent alerts and warnings to the public in times of an emergency or disaster.

The WEA portion of the test will be initiated using FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), a centralized internet-based system administered by FEMA that enables authorities to send authenticated emergency messages to the public through multiple communications networks. The WEA test will be administered via a code that alerts only phones that have opted in to receive WEA test messages. The EAS portion of the test will be initiated using FEMA-designated Primary Entry Point stations.

In case the Aug. 11 test is canceled due to widespread severe weather or other significant events, a back-up testing date is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 25.

More information about the EAS and WEA tests is available at https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20210611/fema-and-fcc-plan-nationwide-emergency-alert-test-aug-11-test-messages-will.

For more information about the Hyper-Reach emergency notification system and Oswego County emergency preparedness programs, visit https://www.oswegocounty.com.