Never mind. If you have a cell phone in the US, you do not have to. FEMA and FCC Plan Nationwide Emergency Alert Test for Oct. 4, 2023 | FEMA.gov So... I'm one of those horrible people who disable AMBER alerts on my phone. Whoever pushes the "Enter" button on those in my area is a telecommuter who lives on the other end of the state and only works late at night. AMBER alerts seem to happen mostly when the Usta-hubbs is 2-3 hours late dropping off the kid after being a weekend Dad. I personally think that 2% milk cartons are a more effective and timely method of (for?) finding lost kids. I also disabled all of the other alerts on my phone except for two: Extreme Weather- - which actually DID save my bacon one time by allowing me to cower under an overpass one night while an F2 roared by. Aaaaaand: the POTUS Alert! The one you CANNOT disable or silence. It will be amusing to see how America reacts to this second quinquennial (pentennial?) event! I have warm memories from the last one.
You cannot disable Presidential Alerts. You have to turn off the phone to prevent the alert tone and message....and even then you may get it after you turn the phone back on.
it's funny, i was just talking to our daughter who works for an alert company, and she said the same thing. even with all your alerts off, the fcc still requires certain override alerts. she said that florida sent out an alert last spring by 'mistake' and people were pretty upset. then, rhonda santis cancelled the contract with her company, claiming it was their fault, and awarded it to a company who made a large donation to his campaign.
If you are a surgeon, Amber alerts have a pretty poor success rate. If you are a baseball player, they have an awesome success rate (about 1 in 4, Do Amber Alerts work? Data shows how often they help bring missing kids home. (msn.com).) Myself, I am happy to get these alerts. I always take note of the info and keep my eyes out. I don't care if the odds are only 25%, I can't imagine not doing such a little thing to possibly help some family. Amber alerts are rare, the ones that come across are, IMO, well worth paying attention to.
Many people seem to forget that there is an ON/OFF switch on these things. A 100% effective way of disabling that ball and chain.
That means they're having a "test" emergency alert on October 4, the anniversary of the release of Night of the Lepus. Coincidence? I think not. Stay indoors, and look out of your windows to check for terrifying mutants about to destroy humanity.
