The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) is conducting a statewide emergency alert drill on April 2. That means residents will receive a test Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) on their mobile devices.
The City of Fort Worth announced the test in a Wednesday blog post. According to the post, the test will take place on Thursday, April 2, with alerts going out 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
In Fort Worth, the test alert is planned for 10 a.m. Residents should note that they could receive multiple alerts if they are traveling between cities during the drill. Additionally, outdoor warning signs will not be activated at this time. The next regular siren test is scheduled for Wednesday, April 1, at 1 p.m.
Residents don’t need to take action as this is only a test to ensure emergency systems are functioning properly. The message will say something like “TEST of emergency alert system. No emergency. No action needed.”
TDEM directs the test and coordinates the timing regionally. The drill will allow TDEM to evalutate how the system performs, identify issues, and improve public safety communication in case of a real emergency.
Residents are encouraged to make sure their emergency alerts are enabled ahead of the drill.
On iPhone, residents should open Settings; select notifications; scroll to the bottom of the screen to Government Alerts; and ensure that Emergency Alerts, Test Alerts, and Public Safety Alerts are turned on.
On Android, residents should open Settings; select Safety & Emergency, Notifications, or Apps & Notifications; tap Wireless Emergency Alerts; look for Test Alerts or Emergency Test Alerts; and turn these setting on if you want to receive the alerts.