Testing of Federal Wireless Emergency Alert System Today

Wednesday, October 4, 2023, 9:30am

TO: Campus community
FR: Kendall Newman, Emergency Services and Business Continuity Manager

At 11:20 a.m. today, October 4, FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System. During this test, a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) alert will be sent to all Sonoma State University students, faculty, and staff who have an alert-enabled cell phone. WEAs are created and sent by authorized federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government agencies through the public alert and warning system. 

The test message, accompanied by a unique tone and vibration, will state: “This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.” The WEA will be sent to all cell phones, radios, and televisions in the nation. The alert is scheduled to last approximately one minute.

As a reminder, the campus maintains the SSU Alert emergency notification system for campus emergency situations. You can verify or update your contact information to this system by logging into MySSU (students) and MyHR (SSU employees). This information is added automatically to our emergency notification system for all students, faculty, and staff. When entering your mobile phone number in MySSU and MyHR, please make sure to label it as a “Mobile Phone” to ensure you receive text message alerts. For detailed instructions on how to update your contact information, review the Emergency Notification information. 

For any questions about this test or emergency management at SSU, please contact the Office of Emergency Services at emergency@sonoma.edu.