Third test of Emergency Alert System this week? What gives?

[hedgehog]

I have a Weather Radio which automatically comes on whenever the Weather Bureau issues an emergency alert (blizzard, flood, wind, tornado, etc.) I imagine it would also kick on if there were a problem with one of the local nuke plants. It kicks on every Wednesday at 11AM with a test announcement followed by a standard weather report. This week it has come on three separate times with random tests of the emergency alert system followed by a solemn announcer asking what I would have done if this had been a real emergency and what have I done to make sure my family is prepared.

Is this a reasonable response to tornado season (in upstate New York?!?!) or is Homeland Security trying to scare us again?

[mrcheerful]

1. Nope they are doing that here once a week at 3 am

Its just a new law under home land security, be prepared is the ideal. After awhile you learn to ignore it, too. I take it you aren't old enough to remember the nuke warnings of the 50's and 60's. Same sh*t.

[Sydnie]

2. I have noticed an increase on tv channels doing them too

That obnoxious noise goes right through me! And, it's always at the moment where someone is about to give the "money quote" and you miss it.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Could be simply that they...

found a glitch in the system and are testing the fixes.

[acmejack]

4. There hasn't been anything about alarm maintenance has there?

You're pretty near Nine Mile Point, so good chance they're trying to scare you! Then again, maybe the Miller plant is going to flood you with genuine draft, this could be a good thing!

[hedgehog]

12. Good point about Nine Mile

We're outside the theoretical evacuation zone, but I'm really wondering if this has anything to do with prep for bird flu.

As for Miller, the brewery's been shut down for many years. Fans of Sam Adams would tell you that being flooded with miller's genuine draft would not be a good thing.


(Cue Twilight Zone Theme) Now the Binghamton Weather Center is testing the Emergency Warning System on my local broadcast station -(WRVO)

[acmejack]

13. I haven't been up since 1990 when I left GE

It's been a very long time, I know everything has changed substantially.

[RB TexLa]

5. They test the "amber alert system" here, even though there are days you

don't get more than 5 minutes of radio at a time for all of the amber alerts. Don't know how much testing it could need.

[MADem]

6. I get them EVERY NIGHT, quite late--annoying as hell n/t

[Selatius]

7. They're rehabilitating the old nuke warning networks for modern use

Much of the stuff was neglected after the Cold War. Hell, most of it was already neglected by the 1980s. I mean, think about it: What damn difference does it make whether you're underground or above ground when 30,000 nuclear warheads are detonated on the surface of earth?

Either way you cut it, you're going to die in the nuclear winter anyway, and if you somehow survived the radiation and the three years of darkness and had a stockpile of food, the simple fact is you'd die of starvation when the food ran out because all the arable farm land is now nuclear wasteland and unfit to grow anything worth a damn.

[kitkat65]

8. We've had a couple of nasty weather fronts going through the country

the last week or so with tornadoes and heavy rains. I wouldn't be too concerned about terrah - worry that you may wake up not in Kansas anymore.

[Ian David]

9. Mine still says "No Messages" n/t

[wtbymark]

10. EAS (weekly) is supposed to be random

so, every wed at 11am or whatever, somebody's sleepin' at their job
1 monthly test is scheduled
1 yearly civil emergency test (would be for nuclear accident, terror attack, etc.)
maybe 2 Amber tests per year

EAS is not really a cold war thing, and certainly hasn't been neglected in recent years
I'm in charge of our FCC records at this broadcast station (incl. all EAS)

on edit: add (weekly)

[hedgehog]

11. This isn't the random EAS on broadcast stations

This is strictly the weather alert radio system. The normal routine is the Wednesday 11AM test. We've had it for several years and this is the first time they've run multiple tests. The other oddity is that they've only run the tests during the day time when most people are at work. The test is originating in Binghamton, New York which is not an area noted for wild weather.