Nationwide Emergency Alert System Test Set for 11 a.m.

Marin residents have heard the familiar phrase, "This is a test," dozens of times over the years on television and radio stations during local tests of the Emergency Alert System. That system is about to get its biggest test yet.

At 11 a.m. Wednesday, the first-ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System takes place at the same time across the United States. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and a host of federal and state agencies hope to make sure vital life-saving information can be communicated from the nation's capital to the public via broadcasters and cable operators.

The test will last less than four minutes. The goal is to determine whether the system would be effective in reaching the entire country in case of a substantial disaster.

The system alert was created in the 1950s as a way for the president to communicate with citizens. The 30-second test was planned for early November because the peak hurricane season has passed and severe winter weather has not set in, FEMA officials said.

“If you don’t have a plan, this is a good reminder to go to Ready.gov and get your disaster plan together right now,” FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said in a video explaining the nationwide test.