The residents of about a dozen US states received a scare when an ominous message rolled across their TV screens announcing an ‘emergency alert’ with the names of their states – without any explanation or further information.

A test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) began shortly before noon on Monday and was seen by millions of television viewers in Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, DC, Infowars reported.

EAS is a special department run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Weather Service (NOAA/NWS).

The alert interrupted regularly scheduled television programs for 10 minutes with a listing of affected states and an announcement that the alert would remain in effect until midnight.

http://rt.com/usa/245493-fema-alert-television-emergency/

on March 15, 2015

GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be conducting statewide tests in four states, including Michigan, of the Emergency Alert System (EAS).

The test message will be seen and heard on television and radio on Wednesday, March 18, in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, according to a news release from FEMA.

State and local authorities can use the EAS to deliver emergency information to the public. The voluntary test is intended to assess the readiness and verify the functionality of EAS stations to receive and broadcast a national test message, according to the release.

In 2007, FEMA began modernizing the public alert and warning system around the nation by integrating new technologies into the existing alert systems. The new updated system is known as the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System or IPAWS, according to the release.

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2015/03/fema_to_conduct_statewide_test.html

Nationwide Emergency Alert System Post-Test Information

On November 9th, 2011, the first-ever nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) Test was conducted across the United States and territories at 2:00 PM Eastern time. The purpose of the test was to assess the readiness and effectiveness of the system for the President to address the public during times of extreme national emergency. Radio and television broadcasters, cable, satellite, and wireline providers across the country (commonly known as EAS participants) participated in the test.

FEMA originated an Emergency Action Notification (EAN) simultaneously to 61 Primary Entry Point (PEP) stations that serve as national-level relay points. These PEP stations rebroadcasted the message in their coverage area to local primary stations and other monitoring stations. The test was not a pass or fail measure, but an exercise to proactively identify strengths and opportunities for improvements of the current EAS. Although the test message was successfully heard and seen by millions of Americans, many technical areas were identified for improvement, including audio quality, state monitoring assignments and designations, and EAS device configuration. An important lesson learned from the first-ever test was when all technical areas are properly addressed; the national EAS functions as intended, but can still be improved.

http://www.fema.gov/emergency-alert-system#3