National Emergency Alert System test today at 11am

Eugene (KMTR) On Wednesday, November 9 at 11:00 a.m. Oregonians will hear on their radios and see on their televisions a test of the emergency alert system (EAS). The test will last approximately thirty seconds. Normal programming will return following the test. This is a nationwide test organized by the FCC and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

This test will be different than those we have had in the past. The November 9 test will utilize a "live" national alert code, i.e., a coded message that will present itself as an actual emergency announcement, not a test. This is necessary in order to allow FCC and FEMA to test the actual working order reliability of legacy EAS equipment and the state of readiness of EAS operators and participants. KMTR NewsSource 16 will run a crawl at the bottom of the screen throughout the test stating that it is just a test.

If anyone has questions about the test, please do NOT call 911. Please tell your neighbors and friends about this test so that they will be informed and will not be caught off guard by this unusual test of the EAS equipment.

More information can be found at