What you need to know about the test emergency alert coming Wednesday

You may receive a test emergency alert from the government around 2:20 p.m. Wednesday.

It will have a special, jarring tone, that some describe as loud, that will be repeated twice and a vibration. A special text message will appear on your mobile screen.

The Federal Communications Commission is conducting a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System.

The EAS national test is very similar to regular monthly tests typically originated by state authorities, according to a press release. It will resemble an Amber Alert or message from the National Weather Service. 

During the test, radios and televisions across the country may interrupt normal programming to play the EAS test message. The message may be delivered in English or Spanish, depending on your phone settings.

Previous nationwide EAS tests were conducted in 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

While in the actual event of an emergency, all working phones able to receive texts will get the message, this text will only be sent to subscribers who opted to receive test messages. You can opt in to receive test messages here.

Contact Briana Rice at 513-568-3496 or brice@enquirer.com. Follow her on Twitter at @BriRiceWrites.