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Dear Partner: Tomorrow afternoon is the first nationwide TEST of the Emergency Alert System.  This is only a TEST - help us spread the word.  Please forward as appropriate. Thanks!

 

Tom Linley   

Director of Emergency Management and Volunteer Services

Volunteer Florida

Emergency Coordinating Officer - ESF15

The Governor's Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service
Elliot Building
401 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee Florida 32301
Office Phone 850-414-2977  
Cell Phone 850-528-3641 
Fax 850-921-5146

Please note: Florida has a broad Public Records law.  All written communications to or from state officials are public records available for review upon request. Your e-mail communications may, therefore, be subject to public disclosure.

 
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                        CONTACT: PUBLIC INFORMATION   

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2011                                    (850) 413-9969
                                                                                   www.FloridaDisaster.org

 

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS REMIND FLORIDIANS OF THE FIRST NATIONWIDE TEST OF THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM

 

~TEST to Take Place November 9 at 2 p.m. EST~

 

TALLAHASSEE -- Emergency Management officials are asking Floridians to take note that on November 9 at 2:00 p.m. eastern standard time, the federal government will conduct the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS).  The test will last for 30 seconds. During this period, regularly scheduled television, radio, cable, and satellite shows will be interrupted as the system is being tested. The Division aims to ensure that Florida's residents and visitors are aware that this event is only a test, and not an actual emergency alert.   

 

"In conjunction with our local, county and state agency partners, the Division wants to alert all residents to this important event, and make them aware of the significance of this system's ability to deliver emergency notifications across the country," said Bryan Koon, Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.  "This test will provide important conformational data on the capabilities of the system should it ever need to be activated for an actual emergency."   

 

Under the FCC's rules, radio and television broadcasters, cable operators, satellite digital audio radio service providers, direct broadcast satellite service providers and wireline video service providers are required to receive and transmit presidential EAS messages to the public. A national test will help federal partners and EAS participants determine the reliability of the system, as well as its effectiveness in notifying the public of emergencies and potential dangers both nationally and regionally.  The test will also provide the FCC and FEMA a chance to identify improvements that may need to be made to build a modernized and fully accessible Emergency Alert System.  

 

The Division, in partnership with local, county and agency officials, encourages residents to use this event as a reminder of the importance of establishing an emergency plan as well as an emergency preparedness kit for themselves, their families, communities, and businesses. For more information about the nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, visit www.Ready.gov. For more information about how to prepare for and stay informed about what to do in the event of an actual emergency and to GET A PLAN!, please visit the Florida Division of Emergency Management's homepage: www.FloridaDisaster.org.  Follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/FLSERT  and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/FloridaSERT. 

 

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