AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- The City of Austin will test its emergency alerting capabilities Monday, sending an emergency message to cell phones and broadcast radio and television stations.
Monday's test will take place at approximately 3 p.m.; the message will clearly state it is part of a test, and no action is required by the public.
The test will ensure the city has the ability to send emergency messages using the federal Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, or IPAWS - a combination of Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) sent to cell phones, and the Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages used by broadcasters and cable providers.
Austin has been working behind the scenes to become a FEMA approved IPAWS Alerting Authority, giving it access to more capabilities to alert the public with life safety information.
Previously, FEMA only allowed counties to become alerting authorities. That created a unique situation for Austin - where the city limits stretch into parts of Hays and Williamson Counties in addition to Travis County. In an emergency situation, city staffers would have to contact emergency management staff in each county to arrange the message to be sent.
"These types of alerts save lives in an emergency," said Austin Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Jim Redick. "Testing both WEA and EAS together will allow us to ensure our alerting systems are ready, effective, and reliable when we need them."