At approximately 4:48 a.m., many Floridians were jolted awake by a loud alert on their mobile phones. The message indicated that it was a test of the Emergency Alert System and that no action was necessary.
There is currently a lot of confusion surrounding these types of tests. While the Florida Association of Broadcasters does carry out monthly testing in collaboration with the Florida Division of Emergency Management, these tests are designed for radio and television broadcasting. They are different from messages sent to individual mobile devices.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management acknowledged and apologized for the mistake. They have assured the public that they are taking steps to ensure that this kind of error does not occur again and that alerts are only sent for genuine emergencies and not in the middle of the night.
IONTB is urging people to reconsider following the instructions being circulated by individuals and even media outlets on how to turn off emergency alerts. These alerts play a crucial role in providing early notification of emergencies.
While the incident is regrettable, it should not undermine the purpose of the entire emergency activation system.