On October 4, a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) was conducted in the United States. The test was aimed at ensuring that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level. The test was conducted at approximately 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time, and the message on all consumer phones read “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”. The test was conducted through the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system for mobile phones and the Emergency Alert System (EAS) for televisions and radios.