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~National Emergency Alert System letdown?~lol.... [1]

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~National Emergency Alert System letdown?~

By [2]

At 2 p.m. the United States prepared for a national pop quiz. Would the Emergency Alert System work? The Federal Emergency Management Agency wanted to test its ability to send messages out to the entire country via a 30-second television and radio interruption.
No alerts on screen at 2 p.m. in The Post newsroom. (Melissa Bell)

So, how’d it go?

The results likely won’t come back for some time, but in the Post newsroom, the initial reaction was less than impressed. Television channels switched the alert on at different times; some did not switch it on at all.

The peanut gallery on Twitter also was underwhelmed by the alert:

 

Storified by Melissa Bell [3]
2 hours ago [4] · 1620 views
  • 9

Emergency Alert System

  •  
  •  
  •  
  1. Many of the television channels did not send out the alert. Others delayed sending it out:
  2. “
    Hey .@nbcwashington -- why aren't you conducting the EAS test?!
    edatpost [6] [6]
    2 hours ago [7]
    [8] [9]
  3. “
    Well that was a bust. The EAS alert didn't broadcast on the radio station I'm listening to in Birmingham.
    Wes Wheeler [10] [10]
    2 hours ago [11]
    [12] [13]
  4. “
    This makes me worry a bit about what would happen in a REAL emergency.
    Andrew Pergam [14] [14]
    2 hours ago [15]
    [16] [17]
  5. Some people suggested the national test smacked of an Orwellian future with too much control given to the government:
  6. “
    Did everyone see FEMA flex its muscles (EAS)? They just tested taking over every form of broadcast for... you know... emergencies.
    Christopher Martin [18] [18]
    2 hours ago [19]
    [20] [21]
  7. “
    I have a feeling that the nationwide EAS test in america is a preperation for something... Im not a big fan of consipiracys either...
    Daniel Butler [22] [22]
    2 hours ago [23]
    [24] [25]
  8. Others enjoyed it:
  9. “
    In LA, EAS test consists of a few short buzzes then five minutes of best hits of the 80's. So far, pretend Armageddon kinda rocking.
    Susan Jack-Wharton [26] [26]
    2 hours ago [27]
    [28] [29]
  10. “
    One advantage to being home sick? Got to see that 2pm emergency broadcast test t.co/SWynTZVI [30]
    John Koblin [31] [31]
    2 hours ago [32]
    [33] [34]
  11. Still others wondered when the alert system would reach the Internet:
  12. “
    Not in front of TV 24/7, radio(ever). How about EAS test over social media/RSS/internet? @FCC
    Alan Liu [35] [35]
    2 hours ago [36]
    [37] [38]
  13. “
    This has been an alert from the Emergency Alert System. If this had been an actual emergency, you would have heard about it first on Twitter
    Tony Katz [39] [39]
    2 hours ago [40]
    [41] [42]
     
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/national-emergency-alert-system-letdown/2011/11/09/gIQAl3Ls5M_blog.html [43]

Category: 

Source URL: //soundofheart.org/galacticfreepress/content/national-emergency-alert-system-letdownlol?page=0

Links
[1] //soundofheart.org/galacticfreepress/content/national-emergency-alert-system-letdownlol
[2] http://www.washingtonpost.com/melissa-bell/2011/03/04/ABgi6vN_page.html
[3] http://storify.com/melissabell
[4] http://storify.com/melissabell/emergency-alert-system
[5] http://storify.com/melissabell/emergency-alert-system/embed?#
[6] http://twitter.com/edatpost
[7] http://twitter.com/edatpost/status/134344780799950848
[8] http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=134344780799950848&related=storify&via=storify&url=permalink
[9] http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?related=storify&tweet_id=134344780799950848&text=%E2%80%9CHey%20.%40nbcwashington%20--%20why%20aren%27t%20you%20conducting%20the%20EAS%20test%3F%21%E2%80%9D%20-%20%40edatpost%20http%3A%2F%2Fsfy.co%2FN2t&via=melissabell
[10] http://twitter.com/XterraMayhem
[11] http://twitter.com/XterraMayhem/status/134350547426869248
[12] http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=134350547426869248&related=storify&via=storify&url=permalink
[13] http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?related=storify&tweet_id=134350547426869248&text=%E2%80%9CWell%20that%20was%20a%20bust.%20The%20EAS%20alert%20didn%27t%20broadcast%20on%20the%20radio%20station%20I%27m%20listening%20to%20in%20Birmingham.%E2%80%9D%20http%3A%2F%2Fsfy.co%2FN2t
[14] http://twitter.com/pergam
[15] http://twitter.com/pergam/status/134345796651978752
[16] http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=134345796651978752&related=storify&via=storify&url=permalink
[17] http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?related=storify&tweet_id=134345796651978752&text=%E2%80%9CThis%20makes%20me%20worry%20a%20bit%20about%20what%20would%20happen%20in%20a%20REAL%20emergency.%E2%80%9D%20-%20%40pergam%20http%3A%2F%2Fsfy.co%2FN2t&via=melissabell
[18] http://twitter.com/freshGTC
[19] http://twitter.com/freshGTC/status/134347480270782465
[20] http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=134347480270782465&related=storify&via=storify&url=permalink
[21] http://twitter.com/intent/retweet?related=storify&tweet_id=134347480270782465&text=%E2%80%9CDid%20everyone%20see%20FEMA%20flex%20its%20muscles%20%28EAS%29%3F%20They%20just%20tested%20taking%20over%20every%20form%20of%20broadcast%20for...%20you%20know...%20emergencies.%E2%80%9D%20http%3A%2F%2Fsfy.co%2FN2t&via=melissabell
[22] http://twitter.com/DanielButler96
[23] http://twitter.com/DanielButler96/status/134350717703036928
[24] http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=134350717703036928&related=storify&via=storify&url=permalink
[25] http://twitter.com/intent/retweet?related=storify&tweet_id=134350717703036928&text=%E2%80%9CI%20have%20a%20feeling%20that%20the%20nationwide%20EAS%20test%20in%20america%20is%20a%20preperation%20for%20something...%20Im%20not%20a%20big%20fan%20of%20consipiracys%20either...%E2%80%9D%20http%3A%2F%2Fsfy.co%2FN2t&via=melissabell
[26] http://twitter.com/SuzieLJack
[27] http://twitter.com/SuzieLJack/status/134350612799299584
[28] http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=134350612799299584&related=storify&via=storify&url=permalink
[29] http://twitter.com/intent/retweet?related=storify&tweet_id=134350612799299584&text=%E2%80%9CIn%20LA%2C%20EAS%20test%20consists%20of%20a%20few%20short%20buzzes%20then%20five%20minutes%20of%20best%20hits%20of%20the%2080%27s.%20So%20far%2C%20pretend%20Armageddon%20kinda%20rocking.%E2%80%9D%20http%3A%2F%2Fsfy.co%2FN2t&via=melissabell
[30] http://t.co/SWynTZVI
[31] http://twitter.com/koblin
[32] http://twitter.com/koblin/status/134347311307427840
[33] http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=134347311307427840&related=storify&via=storify&url=permalink
[34] http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?related=storify&tweet_id=134347311307427840&text=%E2%80%9COne%20advantage%20to%20being%20home%20sick%3F%20Got%20to%20see%20that%202pm%20emergency%20broadcast%20test%20http%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FSWynTZVI%E2%80%9D%20-%20%40koblin%20http%3A%2F%2Fsfy.co%2FN2t
[35] http://twitter.com/aliua6
[36] http://twitter.com/aliua6/status/134347464420495360
[37] http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=134347464420495360&related=storify&via=storify&url=permalink
[38] http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?related=storify&tweet_id=134347464420495360&text=%E2%80%9CNot%20in%20front%20of%20TV%2024%2F7%2C%20radio%28ever%29.%20%20How%20about%20EAS%20test%20over%20social%20media%2FRSS%2Finternet%3F%20%20%40FCC%E2%80%9D%20-%20%40aliua6%20http%3A%2F%2Fsfy.co%2FN2t
[39] http://twitter.com/tonykatz
[40] http://twitter.com/tonykatz/status/134347220475580416
[41] http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=134347220475580416&related=storify&via=storify&url=permalink
[42] http://twitter.com/intent/retweet?related=storify&tweet_id=134347220475580416&text=%E2%80%9CThis%20has%20been%20an%20alert%20from%20the%20Emergency%20Alert%20System.%20If%20this%20had%20been%20an%20actual%20emergency%2C%20you%20would%20have%20heard%20about%20it%20first%20on%20Twitter%E2%80%9D%20http%3A%2F%2Fsfy.co%2FN2t&via=melissabell
[43] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/national-emergency-alert-system-letdown/2011/11/09/gIQAl3Ls5M_blog.html
[44] //soundofheart.org/galacticfreepress/category/type-post/galactic-free-press/ground-crew-updates