FEMA Phone Alert Test
ZANESVILLE, Ohio – You may have received an alert test Wednesday, October 3rd on your phone or on your television.
The phone alert went off around 2:18 p.m. and the television alert went off at 2:20 p.m. FEMA sent out the Nationwide test that will allow the president to send a message to most phones in the United States.
“It’s just to see if everything’s working,” Jeff Jadwin, Director of Muskingum County EMA, said. “That people know what to expect when something like this comes out.”
Jadwin said this type of alert would have been used on the night of the Vegas shooting to warn people to stay clear of the area. It is similar to an AMBER Alert or Severe Weather Alert but the difference is there is no way to opt out.
“Well if we’re under attack by another nation, if there has been multiple incidents where people have used chemicals against other people. That stuff that they can send out and it’s just seeing if the system works,” Jadwin said.
Zanesville has a local emergency alert as well that is a county reverse 911 system. It is sent to landlines and you can sign up to have it sent to your phone. Go to the Citizens Alert 60 website to sign up or call the EMA office at (740) 453-655 and they can input the information needed for you.
