The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) conducted a nationwide test of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), starting at 11:20 a.m. on Oct. 4. The system is split into the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). The WEA portion of the test targeted cell phones. The test alerted any cell phones within range of an active cell tower if turned on within 30 minutes of the starting time. The EAS portion of the test broadcasted the alert through radios and televisions.
According to FEMA, the purpose of the test is to ensure the effectiveness of the emergency systems. The IPAWS Modernization Act of 2015 requires FEMA to conduct a nationwide EAS test at least once every three years, with the most recent national test being done in 2021. FUHSD sent emails to students and staff regarding the alert, which went off during fifth period at MVHS. Social Science teacher Benjamin Recktenwald states that the usefulness of the alert would depend on peoples’ willingness to listen to them. He expresses frustration towards conspiracy theories that have spread online about the alert activating diseases in vaccinated people. However, Recktenwald says that the alert can still be helpful in case of an emergency.
“I remember a couple years ago, there was a big fire at the town Paradise,” Recktenwald said. “It got completely burned down, and a lot of people were not notified that anything was happening so they got stuck in the city when it was burning down. I’m sure the same thing happened in Hawaii when there was a big fire recently, that some people were not alerted. This kind of system would be perfect for that.”
