Nationwide test of Wireless Emergency Alert system could test people's patience – or help rebuild public trust in the system

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The Wireless Emergency Alert system is scheduled to have its third nationwide test on Oct. 4, 2023.

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The Conversation

URL:

https://theconversation.com/nationwide-test-of-wireless-emergency-alert-system-could-test-peoples-patience-or-help-rebuild-public-trust-in-the-system-214453

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

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HAWAII, FLORIDA

Summary

Key Points:

The Wireless Emergency Alert system is scheduled to have its third nationwide test on Oct. 4, 2023.
The Wireless Emergency Alert system is a public safety system that allows authorities to alert people via their mobile devices of dangerous weather, missing children and other situations requiring public attention.
The federal government lists five types of emergency alerts: National (formerly labeled Presidential), Imminent Threat, Public Safety, America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response (Amber), and Opt-in Test Messages.
We believe that concerns about previous tests raise two questions: Is public trust in emergency alerting eroding?

Confusion and resistance

Over-alerting is a common fear in emergency management circles because it can lead people to ignore alerts and not take needed action.
The sheer volume of different updates can be similarly overwhelming, burying emergency alerts in countless other messages.
Even when people receive alerts, however, there is potential for confusion and rejection.
All forms of emergency alerts rely on the recipients’ trust in the people or organization responsible for the alert.

More exposure and info leads to more trust

A survey administered in the days immediately following the 2021 national test found that more respondents believed that the National Alert message class label would signal more trustworthy information than the Presidential Alert message class label.
The Oct. 4 test message is expected to state, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert system.
Here are steps that you can take now to help make the Wireless Emergency Alert system more effective:

Finally, push back on the lack of information and rise of misinformation about alerts by sharing reliable information about emergency alerts with your family and friends. Hamilton Bean has received funding from the Department of Homeland Security and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.