The real reason for the emergency alert today was a nationwide test of the national emergency alert systems, which are designed to let the government reach hundreds of millions of people in the United States immediately if there is a disaster affecting the entire country. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) conducted the coordinated test to see if the technology is working as designed and if any improvements are needed. The test started at approximately 2:20 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, and lasted for about one minute. The message displayed on mobile phones read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. The purpose is to maintain and improve alert and warning capabilities at the federal, state, local, tribal and territorial levels and to evaluate the nation’s public alert and warning capabilities. No action is required by the public”. The test also included tones and vibrations to get people’s attention.

Conspiracy theories have been circulating on social media regarding the emergency alert test, with some people issuing dire warnings, saying that the test will send a signal to cellphones all over the country to activate nanoparticles such as graphene oxide that have been introduced into people’s bodies. However, these claims have been debunked by FEMA, which stated that the sole purpose of the test is to ensure that the systems continue to be an effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level.