Question: Under What Circustances Would We Actually Need a Federal Alert System?

I was driving down the road yesterday talking to my son about Wednesday's FEMA alert system test and a question occurred to me. What type of event would necessitate the use of this system?

It occurred to me that most emergency situations are of a local or regional nature. Earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and fires. We are all accustomed to local alert systems interrupting broadcasts to let us know when a particularly nasty storm is bearing down on us. This is all well and good.

So I started thinking about situations in my lifetime (37 years) that were of a critical enough nature on a national scope that I would have needed a warning from the Federal Government. I couldn't think of any, outside of possibly 9/11. And I would only include 9/11 from the standpoint that we "could" have been under attack nationwide when that whole mess started, for all we knew. As it turned out, a national warning would have been overkill. In fact, none of the local alert systems in my area made so much as a blip.

So how did we find out about 911? How didn't we?? Information about 911 hit us from almost every angle imaginable within minutes of the first tower being struck. Internet, television, telephone calls. Which again begs the question: Why on earth do we need a Federal Alert System? Especially when that federal system will be using the same airwaves to transmit its message that are already being utilized effectively (TV and radio).

This all comes around to the conspiracy. It seems to me that the Federal Alert System is being installed as yet another form of conditioning. I, for one, will be watching closely to see what situations will be deemed important enough by the Federal Government to interrupt other broadcasts and transmit into my home. I fear that over the next few years, we will become all too accustomed to an annoying little beep and our President or some other official coming on air to update us on some situation that had zero impact on our lives. We will become so accustomed to it that we become completely bored by it. Ignoring it. Accepting it.

Then one fateful day, the broadcast booms across our living room with something serious. Or is it sinister? Everyone who can hear this message needs to report immediately to their local police station (or high school, or train station). Details will be forthcoming, but the most important thing you can do is get your family wherever they are supposed to be right away. Your government loves you.

Surely this boring message box that's been spitting out inconsequential drivel for the past decade wouldn't be trying to trick us, would it? Surely they have our best interests at heart! After all, this is why this alert system was instituted so many years ago. Luckily, we haven't had any good reason to use it before now, but we all knew this day would come, didn't we?

And on this day, you have a decision to make. Do you hunker down and stay put? Do you grab your loved ones and flee? Or do you follow the masses to the local collection office. Do you ignore the nagging whisper or growing scream in the back of your head that tells you that something doesn't seem right?

Again, I ask, why exactly does FEMA need a Federal Alert System?

I would say there are a plethora of potential events that would necessitate a national alert system. Some of which include possible invasion, market collapse, rapid viral outbreak, incoming solar flare, possible eruption of a super volcano, martial law, national curfew, just to name a few.

OP, I have thought the same thing since I first heard about the test. The past events if serious enough have always been announced with a Presidential Address to the nation carried on all the networks and radio stations. Some of the sports stations and movie channels etc... did not carry the brodcast but had a scrawl at the bottom etc... I made a statement in a different thread about how odd it is and the timing also.

reply to post by notquitesure


This would be more of a system to warn about incoming; asteroids, comets, nukes, massive tsunami, earthquake, or some other world altering event. I don't think they are thinking they can let you know when Obama sanctions the murder of another dictator.

Well, I don't see how instituting a federal system such as this is any improvement over how we currently find things out. And as I said, I will certainly be watching closely to see on what type of events the government sees fit to report.

At best, this is another overreach of the Federal Government. At worst, it could be another piece in a rather diabolical puzzle.

reply to post by notquitesure


Space rocks.

And such.

reply to post by notquitesure


The testing being done is of the Mergency Alert system. When doing reviews it was discovered that a national all at once use of the system has never been attempted / tested to see if it works. Thats the reason for the testing coming up, and contrary to some of what has been posted the interuption will be minor and the government is not seizing frrequencies.

The use of something large scale would be in response to a bio/chem/nuk incident (which uis automatically federal jurisdiction) in addition regional disasters (eatrthquakes, flooding etc).

One of the amin criticisms people have had in the past was the breakdown in communications from top to bottom and to the people. This is designed to address some of those concerns. The Military, some time back , had civilian channels allocated to better allow military and civilian agencies to communicate in mass disaster situations.

Check out the FCC website for more info on what this is all about and the reason for testing.

Hope this helps...

FCC Website
FCC Nov 9th test of the EAS

At the Federal Communications Commission's June 9, 2011 Agenda meeting, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Chief Jamie Barnett, joined by representatives from FEMA and the National Weather Service, announced that the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) would take place at 2:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time) on November 9, 2011. The purpose of the test is to assess the reliability and effectiveness of the EAS as a public alert mechanism. EAS Participants currently participate in state-level monthly tests and local-level weekly tests, but no top-down review of the entire system has ever been undertaken. The Commission, along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will use the results of this nationwide test to assess the reliability and effectiveness of the EAS as a public alert mechanism, and will work together with EAS stakeholders to make improvements to the system as appropriate.

Nothing sinister. Actually there are some other improvement going on with the digital switch as well as allocating frequency bands for emergency services. New digital technology has developed to the point of being extremely beneficial to get into place and operating as quickly as possible.

knoweldge and ability to get that info out as quickly as possible saves lives.

I don't know about you guys but if the radio or television
starts telling me to go too the local high school, hospital, police station,
or possibly kill my fellow neighbor, I think I will (and we should all) skip out on that one!!!

I sure as hell and no survivalist I know would go easy to a cattle call from the feds!

f em

Just noticed the typo in my thread title and am powerless to correct it.

My apologies.

reply to post by Xcathdra


So the FCC, Homeland Security, and FEMA have gotten together and decided this is a good idea? Somehow that doesn't warm my heart.

I don't necessarily see a conspiracy around every corner, but I do at least check around the corner to make sure I'm not about to get flattened by a truck.

In the past few years, I've learned about more breaking events by monitoring ATS than I've ever learned from any government source. In fact, I often get a good laugh out of it, wondering when a particular story might get picked up by CNN.com.

I totally get the alert system for local events. Finding out that a tornado has been spotted 30 miles away and the storm cell is moving your direction is helpful. I just can't for the life of me see what a national broadcast will do for any of us.

Let's say it's a nuke attack or an asteroid. What are the odds that the Federal Government was going to get around to telling us before we found out on our own, or before it was too late? Which leads me back to this basically being either a pointless system, or something that could be used to ill effect.

I guess by and large it's a trust issue. If I trusted this government to be true representatives of the people who had my best interest at heart, then I would say something like this couldn't hurt. But I don't trust them, and I have my eye on them. I no longer take anything with a grain of salt.

This is not a new FEMA thing.. well, it is and it isn't. The original was created in 1963 and has run ever since..

The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national warning system in the United States put into place on January 1, 1997, when it superseded the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS), which itself had superseded the CONELRAD System. In addition to alerting the public of local weather emergencies such as tornadoes and flash floods, the official EAS is designed to enable the President of the United States to speak to the United States within 10 minutes[citation needed], but the nationwide federal EAS has never been activated.[1] A national EAS test is planned for November 9, 2011. The EAS regulations and standards are governed by the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau of the FCC. Each state and several territories have their own EAS plan.[2] EAS has become part of IPAWS - the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, a program of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). EAS is jointly coordinated by FEMA, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Weather Service (NOAA/NWS).

en.wikipedia.org...
I remember at night like once a week seeing the test, used to be so annoying. But then when a tornado was coming up the street, it was nice to know. Many times I'd be watching a cable show and have no idea something was happening until the EAS system cuts through.

The whole purpose of the test was to test a national test, which had never been done before. Seems kind of .. stupid .. to have such a plan in place and never test it? So, about time. The purpose of the test would be that in any catastrophic situation that required immediate contact to the population as a whole, the President could do so from any location. Such as AF1. Like a nuke going off, or an army invades .. technically during 9/11 the system probably should have been used because there was a lot of panic and disorder.

Lets assume China (hypothetical!) uses a series of EMP's that wipe out the infrastructure of the nation, and launched a massive land invasion on the West Coast. The President could still talk to every person in the country using a variety of radio frequencies that would likely survive such an attack. He could then instruct us what's happening, who may be behind it, what to expect. Essentially, with the EAS the President can order the arming and mass mobilization of the largest civilian militia in the World to protect her borders from invasion.. Russia always said surprise was the only way to get into America, and then the take over would have to be extremely fast for fear of an armed populace. There are many other scenarios that the EAS (national) could be used for.. but mostly it's reserved for SHTF scenarios.

reply to post by notquitesure


Kind of missing some info....

The testing being done is actually done on a weekly monthly basis for local and state EAS. There has never ben a full testing of the entire system for nation wide at the same time. Thats all this test is doing and nothing more.