06/26/07 Chicago: Presidential Emergency Codes instead of Test Codes

[Holly_Hobby]

This is a glitch, it is only a glitch: Warnings go out over the air, but there's no emergency

By David Adam

Herald-Whig Staff Writer

A national emergency alert announced on local television and radio stations throughout Illinois this morning appears to be the result of a human error in Washington, D.C.

Four alerts were heard — at 7:33 a.m., 7:49 a.m., 7:55 a.m. and 8:07 a.m. The alerts came from the National Emergency Alert System, which originates its signal with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency in Springfield. With each alert, a message scrolled across television screens that read, "The Emergency Action Notification Network has issued an emergency action notification for the United States, beginning at ..."

Radio stations and TV stations both had the warning tone for about a minute, but radio stations had no audio. The alerts are designed to override the local audio and video in case of a national emergency. Jim Lawrence, director of operations and engineering for WGEM in Quincy, said he talked this morning with representatives with IEMA who assured him there was no emergency. "Apparently, there's some kind of test being run that shouldn't be going out," Lawrence said. "(IEMA) is getting besieged with phone calls from all over the state."

Lawrence said a representative from Chicago with the Illinois Emergency Alert System told him that he believed the glitch was part of a test of satellite receivers linking state emergency management agencies with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington, D.C.

Rather than a test code being sent to the satellites, Lawrence said he was told that the presidential code was sent instead. :wow:

...

http://www.whig.com/326765874765770.php

[madrchsod]

1. hmmm i guess i missed it....

so did everyone else...

[woodsprite]

2. Hmmmm, AF planes standing down, Osama's new vid,

nukes being flown across the country, martial law practice exercises scheduled.... Gee, do you think they could have been testing the Presidential signal for a reason?

And "no", I don't think I'm wearing my tinfoil hat too tight. But thank you for your concern. ;)

[Holly_Hobby]

3. With this administration, a little tin foil is necessary :) n/t

[Megahurtz]

4. ANOTHER Weird One

to add to the list! :scared: