On Wednesday, October 4, 2023, FEMA conducted a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time, 1:20 p.m. Central Time, 12:20 p.m. Mountain Time, and 11:20 a.m. Pacific Time. The test was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the emergency alert system and to ensure that it is working as intended. The EAS portion of the test was for radios and TVs, while the WEA test was for all cell phones and wireless devices. The EAS portion was scheduled to last approximately one minute and was similar to the regular monthly EAS test messages. The WEA portion was scheduled to last for about 30 minutes, and phones received the message if they were turned on, within range of an active cell tower, and if the wireless provider participated in WEA. The message that appeared on phones read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed” . The test did not interrupt phone calls, and those who opted out of tests and alerts still received the test on their phone.