Washington sources reported that the Trump administration will send a message to all US cell phones on Thursday to test a previously unused alert system that aims to warn the public about national emergencies. Accordingly the messages will bear the headline "Presidential Alert", the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said in a statement this week. Phones will make a loud tone and have a special vibration, said FEMA, which will send the alert.
Furthermore the test message, scheduled for 2:18 p.m. EDT on Thursday, will read: "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed." The test has been scheduled to ensure that the alert system would work in the event of a national emergency. U.S. cell phone users will not be able to opt out.
Moreover Former President Barack Obama signed a law
in 2016 requiring FEMA to create a system allowing the president to send cell phone
alerts regarding public safety emergencies. Hence since the wireless emergency
alert system began in 2012, it has issued over 36,000 alerts for situations
such as missing children, extreme weather and natural disasters, but never a
presidential directive. Cell phone users can opt out of natural disaster or
missing children alerts.
