Topline
Press conferences at the White House and in the Senate were among the events interrupted Wednesday by a din of loud shrieks from cell phones, after the federal government broadcasted an alert to test the system used for emergency notifications.
A practice test of the emergency cell phone alert system caused government events to be interrupted … [+]
Key Facts
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) was speaking at a Senate Republican press conference Wednesday when the blaring siren sounded, leading some reporters and officials to question, “when does it stop?” (Moore Capito replied, “that’s what they’re asking over there,” gesturing toward the chaotic House of Representatives).
Amid remarks at the University of Texas, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the sirens “might be our Russian friends interrupting us,” after being cut off mid sentence by the alert.
At the White House, Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre was giving her daily press conference when the message started singing from dozens of phones simultaneously in the briefing room; Jean Pierre joked the siren marked the end of the questioning.
In a New York City courtroom where former President Donald Trump is on trial for civil fraud allegations, the test of the emergency alarm system led to confusion initially, and laughter ultimately, The Hill reported.
Surprising Fact
“Two minutes early,” “EmergencyAlertSystem” and “zombie” were all trending on social media Wednesday in response to the federal government’s efforts. In recent days, a conspiracy theory that the alarm would turn citizens into zombies (it didn’t) sparked interest online, causing some social media users to suggest people should turn off their phones at the time of the test.
Key Background
On Wednesday, the federal government conducted a nationwide test of the country’s Emergency Alert System on all TVs and radios and most phones. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission jointly conducted the test to ensure the agencies had a way to communicate with the public in case of national emergencies. While the test was supposed to go out at 2:20 p.m. ET, the alert started two minutes early at 2:18 p.m. for some phones.
Further Reading
Alert Test Will Hit Every U.S. Cell Phone Today—People With Hidden Phones For Safety Have A Workaround (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/10/04/fema-emergency-alert-test-derails-events-from-white-house-to-trump-courtroom-and-sparks-zombie-conspiracy-theories/