If you are like me, you grew up occasionally hearing your TV issue a loud beep followed by “This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. This is only a test.” Followed by another loud beep.
Today, Wednesday November 9th, 2011 at noon (MST) Utah time the National Emergency Alert System will be conducting a nationwide test for the first time. The Emergency Alert system system is meant to allow governments at every level to alert their citizens to events that may affect them. The hope is that the system will be usable by local cities, counties and states as well as by the federal government to issue alerts at the national level. These alerts may cover child abuduction/Amber alert notices, sever storm warnings, tornado warnings, terrorist attacks, or pretty much any conceivable notice that a government may want to advise the public of.
As interesting and useful as this system will hopefully prove to be, I think it provides another, far more important purpose. It serves as a great reminder to check on your emergency plans and gear. Take few minutes today to check your car kit and your 72 hour kits. Are they still complete? We often “borrow” gear from our readiness kits and then forget to put them back or replace consumables. Use today as a reminder that as preppers we need to stay on top of our preps. Preps are not a one-time purchase but a commitment.
For more information on the test today, visit www.fema.gov/eastest/
Hrmmm… This brings up an interesting question for me… We don’t have tv service, and we don’t listen to the radio. What type of notification is available for those like us? If there were an emergency that necessitated the use of the emergency broadcast system, would anyone who doesn’t watch tv or listen to the radio be left in the dark? What about people at work who may not have radio or tv in their workplace?
I guess my question is, if we’re putting so much effort into having an emergency broadcast system, it seems like we should make it something that will reach everyone, regardless of what they are doing at the time.