Chances are, you may be dragging today following lunch, after you got a rude awakening Thursday morning at 4:45 a.m. when your cellphone blared a warning sound.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management said the sound — more familiar to us during the day — was sent to mobile devices as a test of the Emergency Alert System.
“This is a TEST of the Emergency Alert System. No action is required," most people read when they picked up their phone in shock, disbelief or three-quarter slumber.
They also said it was a mistake, tweeting out — later in the morning, of course, that "We know a 4:45 a.m. wake up call isn't ideal."
"(The Florida Division of Emergency Management) wants to apologize for the early morning text. Each month, we test emergency alerts on a variety of platforms. This alert was supposed to be on TV, and not disturb anyone already sleeping.," a follow-up tweet said.
And, no matter how you feel about him, Gov. Ron DeSantis is on your side.
"I’ve ordered (FLDEM) Director Kevin Guthrie to bring swift accountability for the test of the emergency alert system in the wee hours of the morning. This was a completely inappropriate use of this system," the governor's office tweeted out today.
The National Association of Broadcasters works with the state emergency management officials and alternates running those alerts at 1:50 p.m. and 4:50 a.m. each month on television.
So, do you want to shut those off for good on your phone?
On an Android device, open your Settings, select Notifications, then Advanced Settings, then (scroll to the bottom and) select 'Wireless emergency alerts' to select the alerts to allow and disable.
UPDATE: The Florida Division of Emergency Management sent this update to the media at 2:30 p.m. Thursday:
Emergency alert testing directives originate from the federal government. This morning’s test was supposed to be a test of televised emergency alerts, which the Florida Association of Broadcasters normally schedules for very early in the morning because that is when the fewest people are watching TV (to minimize disruption). Florida contracts with a company called Everbridge to provide the technical coding and instructions required to push out emergency alerts. Everbridge sent the wrong technical specifications for this alert – which ultimately pushed the alert over the Wireless Emergency Alert system (cellphones).
Good government identifies errors, corrects them expediently, and holds people accountable when appropriate. The Division recognizes that this error was unacceptably disruptive and will correct it.
Nonetheless, the Division stresses the importance of being able to receive emergency alerts as disasters can happen at any time and these alerts save lives. Please do maintain emergency alert notifications on your cellular device – we will ensure they are used appropriately henceforth.
On an iPhone, select Settings and then Notifications, and scroll to the bottom of the screen to do much the same thing for 'Government Alerts.'
Emergency management officials, however, recommend leaving those alerts turned on in order to quickly provide alerts or emergency information.
