Emergency Alert Test Planned In Marin County

SAN RAFAEL, CA — Marin County will participate in a nationwide test of emergency alert systems next week, which will send test messages to mobile phones, radios and televisions.

Led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), test alerts will go out via the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts at 11:20 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4. According to the county, the phone messages will look similar to Amber Alerts, and most phones connected to a cell tower should receive one.

Bay Area broadcasters will also participate in the exercise, broadcasting the messages for approximately one minute.

"In Marin County, we believe strong emergency communications can save lives, and all family or personal emergency preparedness plans need to include an element of staying informed and aware of emergencies," said Steven Torrence, director of the Marin Office of Emergency Management. "Using all the tools available to us, including these federal emergency notification tests and AlertMarin, increases the odds that people will be safe in the event of a disaster."

Residents can sign up online to receive additional local notifications from AlertMarin and learn more about emergency preparedness on the county's website.