FYI to all those in the USA with a cell phone, which basically includes the entire population over the age of 3.
Presidential Alert System Test (USA)
Today at approximately 2:18p (EDT) / 11:18a (PDT) virtually all cell phones in the US will receive a text message from FEMA, to test the Presidential Alert system. The question I keep getting over the past couple of days is, “How do you opt-out of getting this alert”. There are ways to opt-out of other alerts (see How to Opt Out of Emergency Alerts), but Presidential Alerts (controlled by FEMA) are not included in the opt-out option. There is no way to opt-out of receiving this FEMA test message. The message you will receive on your phone
“THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
According to various reports, this test message will override the silent settings on your phone. I can’t confirm the override to silent setting, but you may want to take precautions, in case you are somewhere (like work/school), where you shouldn’t have your phone make noise.
