Why will I get an alert on my phone in Houston Friday, Sept. 5?

The Houston Office of Emergency management wants you to make sure you have alerts turned on.

HOUSTON — What are you doing at around 11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 5?  If you’re in the Houston area, your phone will go off with an emergency alert.

According to the Houston Office of Emergency Management, a wireless emergency alert test will be sent out at that time. It’s going out as a way to test phones in the Houston area.

A post from the Houston OEM is asking you to make sure your phone emergency alerts are on. It’s a way to make sure you’d get life-saving information in the event of an emergency.

These alerts are part of a nationwide alert system called IPAWS, which stands for Integrated Public Alert and Warning System. It’s managed by FEMA. In Houston, the alert system is used to warn the public about life-threatening emergencies like hurricanes, flash flooding, chemical emergencies, or other dangerous situations.

If you have a modern cell phone, there’s probably nothing you need to do to be able to get the alerts other than making sure the alerts are turned on.   

Want to know more about the alerts? The Houston OEM has a fact sheet about the alerts on their web page.

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