WASHINGTON�The Federal Emergency Management Agency will offer an opportunity for �makeup� tests in states where the late February regional emergency alert system Integrated Public Alert Warning System test was cancelled shortly before airing.
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Three states were dropped at the request of their emergency management agencies (Florida, North Carolina and Virginia) and three more at the recommendation of the National Weather Service due to recent severe local weather (Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi).�
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But FEMA Press Secretary Susan Hendrick said that the test deployed to broadcast and cable operators in 16 states, two territories and Washington, D.C.�
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The goal of the test � which the agency emphasized as voluntary � was to alert and warn a more diverse audience to strengthen preparedness.
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Hendrick indicated that state agencies or the National Weather Service may choose to opt out or advise of an area to be dropped due to real-world events like severe weather. �This allows individual states to be dropped from the test to avoid any possibility of the test message causing public confusion during an active emergency,� she said.
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The agency said it plans to conduct individual make-up tests at a date and time convenient for individual states.�
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A version of this article originally appeared on Radio magazine sister publication Radio World’s website.
