Win a trip for 2 to Canada!
[[nid:98598 field_align=full-width]]Earlier this week was the first time a national, presidential alert was issued by FEMA.
Alerts of this kind of this kind go out in the event of national emergencies. And unlike Amber or local weather alerts, users don't have the option to disable them.
On Wednesday at 2:18 p.m. ET., as many cellphones buzzed with the alerts, others sat in silence. Why?
According to FEMA, cellphones compatible with the Wireless Emergency Alerts systems that are turned on and within range of an active cell tower were capable of getting the message.
"Additionally, if a user is on a call, or with an active data session open on their phone, they might not have received the message," FEMA said.
The alert system started under former President George W. Bush, but only for radio and television. It was updated to include cellphones under the tenure of former President Barack Obama.
FEMA is also encouraging the public to send comments on the its test to FEMA-National-Test@fema.dhs.gov.
Useful details:
Additional results will be collected over the next month and reported later and compared against previous test results.
You want to know what is really going on these days, especially in Colorado. We can help you keep up. The Lookout is a free, daily email newsletter with news and happenings from all over Colorado. Sign up here and we will see you in the morning!
It takes a good day’s drive to cover Colorado, but we’ll help you do it in a few minutes. Our newsletters bring you a closer look at the stories that affect you and the music that inspires you.
Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado. Listen now.