Don't Freak Out, It's Just A Test Of The Emergency Alert System!

Source: daryl_mitchell via Flickr

If some strange messages appear on your mobile device tomorrow, you can breathe a deep sigh of relief knowing that the fine people who brought us the Emergency Broadcast System have gone all 21st (okay, late 20th) Century with a new wireless version of their emergency alerts.

Earlier today, Notify NYC put out the following email:

Notification issued 12/14/11 at 1:20 PM. Tomorrow between 10AM-3PM, New York City OEM and the federal government (FEMA) will test the Wireless Emergency Alert System, a new system that allows authorized officials to send alerts to enabled mobile phones. Depending on the model of your phone and carrier you may receive TEST messages. These messages will look similar to a text message and be accompanied by audible alerts.

To find out more, please either contact your cellular service provider or visit FCC.gov.