US conducts nationwide emergency alerts test

Los Angeles, Oct 5 (IANS) The US federal government has conducted a nationwide emergency alerts test.

The national test will consist of two portions, testing the capabilities of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), according to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Both tests began at around 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The WEA portion of the test was directed to consumer cell phones. The EAS portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions.

The purpose of the test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level, according to FEMA.