Don’t Panic: New emergency alert system to be test driven Wednesday

Dark Knight

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Don't be alarmed if it seems like someone hit the pause button on reality this Wednesday. On November 9 at 2p.m. Eastern time, the federal government will test out a new emergency alert system that will pop up on every TV broadcast, cable channel, and radio show the nation over for 30 seconds. The system is designed as a far-reaching, fast-acting way to spread information about a security threat or natural disaster of sufficiently threatening scope.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technol...gency-alert-system-test-driven-220952092.html
 
Thanks for the reminder, Dark Knight . . . knew it was coming! Right in the middle of Rush, too
 
Our tax dollars at work. Can think of about a kabillion more important things we need to be doing with the $$ involved in this "test."
 
Our tax dollars at work. Can think of about a kabillion more important things we need to be doing with the $$ involved in this "test."

I disagree. As a former media member, I remember after 9/11 we spend quite a bit of money and brainpower trying to find an easy way to disseminate critical information to the listeners of all of our 5 radio stations at the same time, it was sort of our version of the EAS system. Having a system that can easily be used by the government, even the president himself, to broadcast vital information to everybody, is a great idea. And yes, this stuff has to be tested regularly to see if it even works properly.
 
Our tax dollars at work. Can think of about a kabillion more important things we need to be doing with the $$ involved in this "test."
Tell that to the people of Joplin, MO or Evansville IN.

I just hope they don't also sound teh sirens too, I'm working atop a ladder all week. :floorlaugh:
 
A national warning system would not have been utilized in Joplin or Evansville or the Arkansas towns that got hit.

We have television, internet, radio, cell phones, the National Weather Service already in place. Sorry, just don't see why we've needed to spend all this money on this system a decade after 9-11. I'd be hard-pressed to explain it to our homeless when I'm down there volunteering or to my unemployed friends.
 
A national warning system would not have been utilized in Joplin or Evansville or the Arkansas towns that got hit.

We have television, internet, radio, cell phones, the National Weather Service already in place. Sorry, just don't see why we've needed to spend all this money on this system a decade after 9-11. I'd be hard-pressed to explain it to our homeless when I'm down there volunteering or to my unemployed friends.

I was unemployed for 2.5 years, and still could use some of the benefits to supplement my income, but I still understand the benefits of a simpler system in case of a terrorist attack, for example, or a major natural disaster (they can narrow it down geographically if I remember right.) Technically, the president could take over the current EAS system, but that was an old archaic system, so an upgrade is not a bad idea, IMHO.
 
A national warning system would not have been utilized in Joplin or Evansville or the Arkansas towns that got hit.

We have television, internet, radio, cell phones, the National Weather Service already in place. Sorry, just don't see why we've needed to spend all this money on this system a decade after 9-11. I'd be hard-pressed to explain it to our homeless when I'm down there volunteering or to my unemployed friends.

I'm not sure why you think it would not have been used in these places. I live just outside of Evansville, and the only alerts we get are on local channels, from what I understand, this new system will put out a warning on all channels. Correct me if I'm wrong please.
 
In this day and age, it needs to be updated. The POTUS has always had the power to take over the airways, now there's just so much more to it. It would have come in very handy on 9-11 to get all that air traffic down, for instance. Idk what all the fuss is about.

MOO
 

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