Joe Puccio, NCC News: On Wednesday, October 4th at 2:20 pm, you will receive a notification, right to your phone. Don’t worry, there’s nothing to be alarmed about. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is testing its push notification system to every cell phone user in the country. But, here in Syracuse, there are some people who feel protected, while others feel senses of doubt about these push notifications.
Joseph Squadrito: “Weird, but I don’t really care because I get so many notifications anyways that I don’t pay attention to. I think they can be very useful. Like with the amber alerts and stuff like that because it keeps people…it puts it into your mind so you’re thinking about it rather than seeing it.”
James Lilienfeld: “They’re a good way of informing people about a dangerous situation. So even though they might feel unsettling or invasive, the overall gain is more important than the feeling of uneasiness.”
JP: The last nationwide test like this occurred in 2021. They are meant to determine how effective the government’s mass communication system would work during an emergency. That’s why Joshua Castillo believes these tests are important.
Joshua Castillo: “Its the best way to get a crisis to be…to be informed to everyone who needs to be informed, you know? Especially if there’s a nuclear warhead or something that is coming our way, everyone needs to know. We are living in an era where we put our names into a bunch of applications into the Internet so of course there will be organizations that will have all this information. I think this is just a matter of whether we want safety.”
JP: “Do you think you’ll be startled by those notifications on Wednesday?”
JC: “No. Haha.”
JP: Joe Puccio, N-C-C News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – On Wednesday, October 4, each American might look at their phones at the exact same time.
At 2:20 p.m. eastern, a text alert will be sent to every cellular device in the nation. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the FCC are testing the country’s Emergency Alert System.
At that time, a message reading “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” will appear on screens. For Syracuse resident Joseph Squadrito, this is pivotal, yet odd feature.
“Weird, but I don’t really care because I get so many notifications anyways that I don’t pay attention to,” says Squadrito. “I think they can be very useful. Like with the amber alerts and stuff like that because it keeps people…it puts it into your mind so you’re thinking about it rather than seeing it.”
These notifications can bring a sense of relief.
“Even though they might feel unsettling or invasive, the overall gain is more important than the feeling of uneasiness,” says Syracuse resident James Lilienfeld.
“Its the best way to get a crisis to be…to be informed to everyone who needs to be informed,” says Syracuse resident Joshua Castillo. “Especially if there’s a nuclear warhead or something that is coming our way, everyone needs to know.”
The test will also be administered to televisions and radios. If there is severe weather on October 4, the test will be delayed to October 11 in order to give users key weather-related details.
