Test of FEMA Wireless Emergency Alert System (WEA) Causes Confusion
On Wednesday, 10/3/18, tens of millions of U.S. citizens received a text from the president as part of a test of FEMA’s Wireless Emergency Alert System (WEA). The objective of the WEA is to send mass communications around scenarios such as severe weather, AMBER Alerts, or nearby safety issues like a mass shooting. Unfortunately, the system test did not perform flawlessly, which created a lot of confusion among the masses.
Causes of the WEA System Failure
Although the WEA has been around since 2012, this was the first time a text alert was tested nationally. Unfortunately, even though it was designed to be sent to everyone, many people did not receive the alert.
The main point of the alert was to test the system and identify problems. Therefore, according to David Simpson, former chief of the FCC’s Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau, some flaws and issues were expected. If you did not receive the alert, you’re certainly not alone. According to FEMA, there are several possible reasons:
- Your cellphone carrier experienced what amounts to a glitch in the transmission process.
- You were out of cell service range.
- Your phone was not able to receive texts (turned off, damaged, airplane mode, etc.).
- Your cellphone carrier does not participate in the system.
- You have an older phone that is not WEA compatible.
Later this year, FEMA will be releasing a report detailing the successes and failures of the WEA test. This, in turn, will reveal lessons learned that can be used to improve the emergency alert system going forward. The morale of the story is that preparation – whether in the form or exercises and drills, alert system tests, or something else – is the key to future success.
