‘Presidential’ alert to sound off today

WASHINGTON — About 225 million electronic devices across the United States will wail and buzz this afternoon as the Federal Emergency Management Agency conducts an emergency alert test.

A tone will sound at 1:18 p.m. Central daylight time similar to that of an Amber Alert or flood-watch warning, and the subject of the alert will read: “Presidential Alert” and text will say: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”

It is the first test of the national wireless emergency system by FEMA. The message will be broadcast by cell towers for 30 minutes, so it’s possible some people may get it at a different time. The alerts will sound as long as the device is turned on.

A second alert on television broadcast and radio will go off at 1:20 p.m. Central time. The TV and radio alert has been tested for several years.

The system test is for a high-level “presidential” alert that would be used only in a nationwide emergency.

Phones with mobile carriers that participate in the wireless emergency alert system, which sends out information on hazardous weather, or missing children, will get the alert. FEMA officials estimate it will reach about 75 percent of all mobile phones in the country, including phones on all of the major carriers.

AP/WILFREDO LEE Members of Palm Beach County, Fla., Rescue wear masks Tuesday as they patrol a beach at Lake Worth a day after state officials said red tide may be the cause of breathing problems some beachgoers have experienced. The testing also found the algae that is causing the red tide. At least six beaches in Palm Beach County have been closed to swimming, but officials are planning to reopen them today.