Looking to ensure residents can be contacted in the event of a disaster, the D.C. region recently conducted the largest wireless emergency alert test in U.S. history. Reaching over five million people in and around Washington D.C., the test looked to broadcast alerts to cellphones in the region, accompanied by tones similar to those used for Amber Alerts or severe weather warnings. As the alerts were issued based on a cellphone’s location, some users near region’s borders received multiple alert messages.
Speaking about the test, D.C Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Chris Rodriguez told NBC, “we’re doing it because in a world where there are a lot of threats out there and some that can happen with little to no notice, we need to be able to communicate with the public very quickly.”
Efforts are still underway to determine the overall effectiveness of the test, with emergency management officials asking members of the public to complete a survey to determine whether any areas or groups failed to receive the alert in a timely manner.
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