Click Here
Saturday May 18 2013
Juneau: 43°F
Now in Digital HD on Ch. 5.1!
Latest Alaska headlines from KTUU.com » Spenard Farmer's Market Kicks Off 4th Season » Anchorage Sets New Record for Longest Snow Season » Outdoor Death Near Mulcahy Stadium Not Suspicious, APD Says » Alaska Gold Miners Remain Optimistic Despite Dropping Gold Prices » Copper River Salmon Arrives for Consumers in Anchorage » Late Spring Delays Palmer Farmers, Anchorage Growers Remain Optimistic » Search in Progress for 2 Snowmachiners near Kotzebue » Infant's Death Following ATV Crash Under Investigation » Yukon River Breakup Causing Flooding in Eagle » Juneau Empire Names New Publisher » Man Accused in Kodiak Coast Guard Killings Wants Release » Late Season Snow Takes Aim on Southcentral » Snow, Cold Delay Opening of Denali Highway » Coast Guard Finds Safety, Fishing Violations During Boarding » Anchorage Bike to Work Day Takes Place Today » Alaska Unemployment Rate Falls Again » Missing Teen from Eagle River Found Alive and Well » Man on Cheney Lake Ice Taken into Custody » Renovation Work to Start on Alaska Capitol » Pavlof Volcano Continues to Erupt With Lava, Ash » Sled Dog Could Face Death After Attacking Toddler » Bethel Woman Gets 22 Years in Death » Troopers Investigate Man's Death near Tok » Police Arrest 2 Homer High Students in Fake Bomb 'Prank' » Alaska Ferry System Considers Raising Rates » State to Recover $376K in Medicaid Case » Man Missing from Anchorage Airport Found in Talkeetna » Man Crashes Car into Tree, Remains in Critical Condition » Interior Department Releases Draft Rules on 'Fracking' » Renovation Work to Start Soon on Alaska Capitol » Agency to Consider Alaska Lake Seals as Threatened » APD Seeks Suspect in Eagle River Drug-Deal Shooting » Late Spring Sparking Flood Concerns in the Valley » Annual Motorcycle Training Courses are Ready to Roll » Five Alaska Guardsmen First to Summit Denali This Year » Juneau Picks New Police Chief » Firearm Found at Valdez Middle School » UAF Bethel Campus Hosting Suicide Alertness Event Friday » Bethel Officials, Businesses Weigh Impact of Tobacco Tax » Forest Service Dedicating New Lab in Juneau » ATV Crash Leaves Palmer Man in Critical Condition » Wasilla Man Injured in Pickup Truck-Bicycle Collision » Bean's Cafe Announces New Executive Director » Ash Plumes Rise from Pavlof Volcano » Illegal Kills End Unit 23 Musk Ox Hunting Season » One of the Latest Snows Ever? » Burger Index Not Good News for Alaska, Hawaii Cities » Flags to be Lowered Today for Peace Officers » Firefighting Exercises Set for Anchorage Airport » Man Faces DUI Charges in Car-Coffee Stand Crash » NTSB Urges Drunk Driving Legal Limit Lower to .05 Percent » Anchorage Airport Now Offers Non-Stop Service to Iceland » Local Air Carrier To Begin Scheduled Passenger Service In Bush Alaska » Proposed Palmer Dump Stirs Up Toxic Debate » Budget Cuts Threaten Real-Time Tracking Of Active Alaska Volcanoes » APD Officers Identified in Muldoon Shooting » Trapper Creek Man Dies in Head-on Collision » New Group Launches Support Campaign for Oil Tax Reform » Gas Prices in Anchorage Up 10 Cents Per Gallon » Minor Lava Flows Detected on 2 Alaska Volcanoes » Wet Mat-Su Roads Bring Closures, School-Bus Diversions » Parnell Meeting with Banks, Agencies in New York » UAA Hockey Coach Shyiak Accused of Hitting Player » Denali National Park Set to Open for Summer » Future Looks Promising for 2013 High School Graduates » Buccaneer Energy Begins Drilling Cosmo Well » Canada Company Pulls Out of Mining Project near Tok » ASD Says $44M in Scholarships Awarded to 2013 Graduates » Residents, State Officials Worried About Rising Yukon Waters » ADFG Restricts Sport Fishing for Kenai River King Salmon » Memorial Day Event Planned at Ft. Wainwright » Homer Chosen to Host Governor's Picnic » Coast Guard Sets Hearing for Kulluk Grounding » Soldotna Teen Charged after Suffering Leg Wound » Kali, Alaska Polar Cub, to Leave for New Home in New York » Kenai Refuge Revises Fire Management Plan » Couple Escape Landslide by Running Down Beach » High-Speed South Anchorage Chase Ends with Arrest » Alert Level Raised for Volcano near Cold Bay » Interior Communities Set New Low-Temperature Records » Stolen Truck Rams Anchorage Police Car » Presence of Coast Guard in Arctic Waters Called into Question » National Arctic Strategy Released » Villagers Seek Removal of Old Military Containers » Olympian Matt Emmons Addresses UAF Commencement » 2 Injured in Soldotna after Handgun Accidentally Fired » Juneau Prison Inmate Loses Part of Ear in Assault » Juneau Man Charged with Sexual Assault » A Woman's First Mother's Day » Summer Season Begins for Alaska Native Heritage Center on Mother's Day » Downtown Market and Festival Celebrates Opening Weekend » Dog Attacks 2-year-old Girl at Big Lake Kennel » Historic House Could Lodge Lieutenant Governor » Sunrise Grill Restaurant Fire Under Investigation » Thousands Participate in Third Annual Lemonade Day Alaska » North Pole Man Killed while Transporting Bulldozer near Stephen Lake » Police Release Identity of Man Found in Burning Van » Colorado Man Sentenced for Shipping Meth to Alaska
Emergency Alert System test cancelled in Alaska, for most
Published: 11/09/2011 07:27:00
Updated: 11/09/2011 09:53:29

The first national test of the Emergency Alert System is scheduled for 10am Alaska time Wednesday Nov. 9th, 2011
The first national test of the Emergency Alert System is scheduled for 10am Alaska time Wednesday Nov. 9th, 2011 (FCC)

Related:
National EAS system to be tested in Alaska Jan 6th

The first ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, scheduled for 10:00 AM Alaska time on Wednesday November 9th 2011, has been cancelled in Alaska due to the massive storm impacting western areas of the state.

The EAS is tested regularly on a local and statewide level; but the president's capability to address the entire nation live - the primary purpose of the system - has never been tested before. Tests of the presidential alert code have been performed twice in Alaska, and also in a few other states like Nevada, but never nationally on all TV, radio, cable and satellite systems simultaneously.

Due to the massive storm in western Alaska today; Federal and State emergency officials have decided to cancel the test in Alaska to prevent any confusion and allow responders to concentrate on the storm.

KFQD radio in Anchorage is the statewide relay point used to distribute the presidential alert to the state, it has already served this task during the previous "Alaska-only" tests. KFQD will be temporarily disconnected from the national system on Wednesday to exclude Alaska from the test. As a result, local Alaskan TV, Radio and Cable-TV systems shouldn't activate for the "almost national" EAS test.

Viewers receiving programming through Dish Network and DirecTV may still receive the test. The satellite services are controlled from locations outside Alaska and will still receive the test. It is unclear if the test will be carried to Alaskan viewers through the satellite systems.

The important thing to remember is that the rest of the country is testing the EAS today at 10:00 AM Alaska Time, and if you do see part of that "Emergency Action Notification" test in Alaska, don't worry as it's just a test.

Staff at KATH-TV will be closely monitoring the (automatic) EAS at the time of the test.

You can follow discussion about the test on Twitter with the hash-tag #EAStest

Did you see the test? Let us know at news@kath.tv

http://www.fema.gov/eastest/

By: Mikko Wilson - mikko@kath.tv