11-9-11 is Emergency Alert System Day

Monika, a Security Specialist (SS) at the Department of Infrastructure Protection (DIP) of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), warns us that the Emergency Alert System (EAS) Day is approaching:

...the first national-level test of the Emergency Alert System that will take place on November 9 at 2 p.m. eastern. With the test now less than a month away, I wanted to put out a friendly reminder about what it means for you.

What will people hear and see during the test?

On November 9, the public will hear a message indicating that “This is a test.” The audio message will be the same for both radio and television. However, the image on the screen and the text/crawl at the top of television screen may not be the same for all viewers. When the Emergency Alert System test is over, regular programming will resume.

How long will the test last?

We anticipate that the test will last approximately 3 minutes. While most messages, such as tsunami or hurricane warnings, are limited to two minutes by the emergency alert system, the Presidential message capability (which will be used in the national test) does not have a time limit. So to evaluate if the system properly interprets the Presidential message code in this test, the message duration must be longer than two minutes in length.

At this point, it's not clear whether the president will choose to address the nation during the test, or whether he will wait for an actual emergency to frighten us.

Because the president's message can be of indefinite duration, it would good idea to cancel any future appointments as soon as you hear the EAS warning sirens.

If it's an actual EAS, there's a good chance you won't make it to your appointment anyway.
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Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau posts a list of companies that profit from the new EAS system.  Investors should be sure to consult this page.

Test of new Emergency Alert System scheduled just before election day

Television and Broadcast Journal reports:

The feds have scheduled the first ever national test of the Emergency Alert System. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission will conduct the test Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. EST. The duration may last up to three-and-a-half minutes.

A national alert enables the president to break into regular broadcasts and address the American public during emergencies. One has never been issued in the history of the system, established in 1951 by then President Harry Truman during the Cold War....

The first test of this system will amount to a three minute "national meditation" on the threats to our way of life.  

We believe Nov 9th is the best day of the year to conduct annual tests, as it so close to election day. (We prefer that fears about national security threats rather than the state of the economy inform voter choices on election day.) We're excited by the last line of the article, that reads: 

After the first test in November, weekly or monthly tests are likely to become routine, according to the FCC.  

The more frequently such tests are conducted, the better for keeping America on its toes.  As for the first test, we have marked the day on our calendars.  We suspect that publicity leading up to the test -- the anticipation -- will generate as much anxiety as the test itself.