Cell Phone Alerts Were Part Of National Test

Alerts that popped up on cell phones around the state yesterday were part of a national test of an alert warning system through FEMA.

WABI-TV says the alerts are being sent out by all cell phone companies as a test of a recent upgrade. The testing is being done to make sure the upgrades are working.If the reaction on social media is any indicator, they work fine. The fact that the test was done the day before election day worried some people who took to Facebook and Twitter to ask others if they had received the same message and what it meant.

IPAWS, or the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System, is the national alert and warning infrastructure, which triggers the tests that you often hear on radio and television. In national emergency situations, the signals are triggered to provide alerts and information to the public. For more information, log onto the IPAWS website.