LANSING - The federal government will conduct the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) at 2 p.m. Wednesday. The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) is encouraging Michigan residents to use this as an opportunity to ensure their own emergency plans and kits are in place.

The test is being conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as part of their ongoing efforts to keep the nation safe during emergencies and strengthen our resilience against all hazards. The test will last approximately 30 seconds. During this period, regularly scheduled television, radio, cable, and satellite shows will be interrupted as the system is being tested.

"Tests such as this play a key role in ensuring government emergency preparedness plans are at their best," said Olga Dazzo, Director of the MDCH. "It's also crucial for Michigan residents to be prepared as well. I encourage all Michiganders to use this as an opportunity to review or create emergency plans for their families and businesses."

The Office of Public Health Preparedness at MDCH, along with FEMA, encourages the public to use this event as a catalyst to prepare themselves, their families, communities, and businesses for emergencies. Everyone should have an emergency plan and an emergency supply kit. Residents also need to know about the types of emergencies that could occur and their appropriate responses. Family emergency plan templates and other preparedness materials are available at www.michigan.gov/prepare.

The national EAS is an alert and warning system that can be activated by the president, if needed, to provide information to the public during emergencies. The test plays an important role in ensuring the system is effective in communicating critical information to the public in the event of a real national emergency.

Under the FCC's rules, radio and television broadcasters, cable operators, satellite digital audio radio service providers, direct broadcast satellite service providers and wireline video service providers are required to receive and transmit presidential EAS messages to the public. A national test will help federal partners and EAS participants determine the reliability of the system, as well as its effectiveness in notifying the public of emergencies and potential dangers both nationally and regionally. The test will also provide the FCC and FEMA a chance to identify improvements that need to be made to build a modernized and fully accessible Emergency Alert System.

Visit www.fema.gov for more information about the EAS test.

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