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FEMA and FCC Plan Nationwide Emergency Alert Test for Oct. 4, 2023

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Re: FEMA and FCC Plan Nationwide Emergency Alert Test for Oct. 4, 2023

#41

Post by icegreentea2 »

jawns wrote: post #32

I've often wondered how they measure the efficacy of the tests. Is there some sort of telemetry on the phones that reports back that the user received and viewed the alert? Is there a sample group of test users who have agreed to report whether they received the alert? Or does that even matter? Are they really more concerned with the infrastructure at the provider level? The release also mentions that it's primarily…

Here's the test report for the 2021 EAS and WEA tests:

EAS: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-378861A1.pdf

WEA: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-378907A1.pdf

EAS is based on reporting (like a questionnaire) from EAS participants - so the parties that are supposed to receive and retransmit alerts.

WEA comes from two sources - the wireless carriers, and a survey of end-users (volunteers). In addition, the 2021 test was effectively opt-in - the upcoming test will actually target all cellphones (which was how the 2018 test was performed).

In the 2018 test report, they said they mostly got feedback through a variety of sources (direct public feedback, as well as information from surveys from different government agencies).

As for the actual useful purpose of national level alerts? I'd agree that outside of a nuke strike... not a lot. (In)famously, EAS was not activated on 9/11. Seems that a national level test is probably most useful as a way for the federal government to keep an eye on the total system.

Separately from the utility of the national test, the national test is required by law.

Re: FEMA and FCC Plan Nationwide Emergency Alert Test for Oct. 4, 2023

#42

Post by array-species »

icegreentea2 wrote: post #35
array-species wrote: post #17

Funny FEMA should just now come up, I just now spent some time considering FEMA! It is very surprising to me that much emergency infrastructure exists, without providing very basic things to households like regionally relevant emergency kits and something like one month of MRE + Water. Rather than it sitting in some warehouse... because distribution becomes a very immediate problem. Not forced but, offered to anyone…

The DoD procures MREs at about 80 bucks a case of 12. You could probably stretch one MRE per day for survival situations (~1250 calories), though 1.5 or 2 would be much more comfortable. Taking it to be 1 per day, one month is 200 dollars. MREs have a 3 year shelf life at room temperature, so each person you supplied would need to be topped off every 3 years - so like 65 bucks per person per year. So fits in their cu…

Great points.

Just thinking of MRE and water is narrow, but in my region the most likely broad critical event is total supply chain cut, so it would be a long term shelter in place situation. So I got to think for myself on that point.

For example people in Amish country aren't going to give a crap in the first place and have some of their own supply chains.

I am glad about the alert system test and think it's a great use of funds!

Re: FEMA and FCC Plan Nationwide Emergency Alert Test for Oct. 4, 2023

#46

Post by dredmorbius »

kelseyfrog wrote: post #43

If you have a phone you don't want found, be sure to silence or turn it off that day.

This is a concern for people who are living in difficult circumstances, particularly with domestic violence, with companions who might steal valuables, or similar circumstances, where the test would reveal presence of a concealed phone.

Even if you're not directly affected, should share information about the test and possible impacts with those around you who might be, so that they can disable or move any devices elsewhere on the test date.

Re: FEMA and FCC Plan Nationwide Emergency Alert Test for Oct. 4, 2023

#47

Post by dredmorbius »

cowsandmilk wrote: post #24
jfk13 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect that if you distributed emergency supplies ahead of time, some people would treat it as a convenient handout and simply consume them. And even aside from the temptation to use the supplies, not everyone would be able to find a place to store a month of rations & water.

Not to mention hurricanes and tornadoes will likely destroy the rations for those who need them most.

This is where awareness and planning help.

An emergency food stash that is part of a go-bag / bug-out-bag is useful. Individuals or households would have their food, clothing, and vital documents in a single piece of luggage (duffel bag, backpack, suitcase), which could be grabbed and carried or quickly thrown into a vehicle.

The challenge, at a wide-scale (national, regional, even city-wide) disaster-preparadness level, is of communicating this and establishing suitable levels of conformance.

To the extent that there are preparations which individuals can self-provide (food, water, and clothing among them) and those which require or benefit from central coordination (command-and-control, warning and information systems such as the FEMA test, emergency responders (rescue, etc.), and coordinated mass transportation (establishing and managing evacuation routes, busses, trains, etc.) it might not make sense to specifically provision such supplies, though if specific items aren't readily available commercially government coordination or distribution might help.

Re: FEMA and FCC Plan Nationwide Emergency Alert Test for Oct. 4, 2023

#48

Post by ragestorm »

eastbound wrote: post #23
Thlom wrote: post #8

We had a national test in Norway that mostly worked OK a few months ago. But then they wanted to use it in a real emergency in early August(some specific areas were about to be flooded due to heavy rain) and that didn’t work as well. First of all cell phones way out of the flood area were getting emergency messages, some of these got several messages in different languages and different wording over several days. It…

Test messages are spam. After the pandemic, I think we’re quite a number to not trust the public services (either act too late, or try to revive the panic when it’s over). When I received the alert test messages, which, I remind, will not only be used to amplify terrorism scare but also for crowd management during flood, tell you to avoid protests, and then to tell us that we should urgently take the vaccine… No than…

Did you receive those emergency texts (the topics you listed) or merely speculating what they are used for?

Re: FEMA and FCC Plan Nationwide Emergency Alert Test for Oct. 4, 2023

#49

Post by dredmorbius »

icegreentea2 wrote: post #35
array-species wrote: post #17

Funny FEMA should just now come up, I just now spent some time considering FEMA! It is very surprising to me that much emergency infrastructure exists, without providing very basic things to households like regionally relevant emergency kits and something like one month of MRE + Water. Rather than it sitting in some warehouse... because distribution becomes a very immediate problem. Not forced but, offered to anyone…

The DoD procures MREs at about 80 bucks a case of 12. You could probably stretch one MRE per day for survival situations (~1250 calories), though 1.5 or 2 would be much more comfortable. Taking it to be 1 per day, one month is 200 dollars. MREs have a 3 year shelf life at room temperature, so each person you supplied would need to be topped off every 3 years - so like 65 bucks per person per year. So fits in their cu…

The recommended shelf life may be three years, but the meals can almost certainly be used long past that point, with only modest degradation.

I'd agree that a month's supply is excessive. Three days to a week would be far more reasonable in most cases. The goal is to tide over until other resources can be found, which in most cases will be a few days.

Where longer-term nutrition is required, far more conventional long-lived foods will be more appropriate: bulk grains, dried beans, canned goods, powdered or dried foods, and freeze-dried foods. These can come from normal household stocks, and simply be rotated as part of normal food purchase and preparation.

Refrigerated or frozen goods will of course spoil quickly without power in most cases (though could be viable for cold-weather climates where cold storage ... comes with the territory).

Re: FEMA and FCC Plan Nationwide Emergency Alert Test for Oct. 4, 2023

#50

Post by bombcar »

ls612 wrote: post #40
bombcar wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's the "boy who cried wolf" problem - test messages should begin with TEST TEST TEST and there should be an option to filter out test messages. I blocked all emergency alerts until they finally gave you the ability to block just amber alerts.

iOS already allows you to filter out test alerts and amber alerts, while still getting (for instance) tornado warnings.

The tornado warnings have gotten really annoying; it used to be they'd only give you a warning when there was a real chance (so 50% of the time you got a warning, a tornado touched down somewhere) - now it feels like anytime there's a thunderstorm, you get the alert.
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