Prepare for Screeching Emergency Cell Phone Alert at 11:20 a.m.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts Wednesday at around 11:20 a.m.

The Emergency Alert System portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions. The Wireless Emergency Alert portion of the test will be directed to all consumer cell phones.

The test message will display on the phone in either English or Spanish, depending on the language settings of the wireless device.

Officials said the purpose of Wednesday’s test is to ensure the systems continue to be effective means of warning communities about emergencies. The message that appears on phones will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”

The test message will go to all cell phones set up to receive public safety alerts.

This marks the seventh nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System and the third nationwide test of the Wireless Emergency Alerts. However, it is only the second time that consumer cellular devices will receive the alert. The first-ever test of the Emergency Alert System took place more than a decade ago, in 2011.