Why Hundreds of Millions of People Just Got a FEMA National Alert | WSJ

Today FEMA is testing its ability to send emergency alerts to cellphones, TVs and radio on a nationwide scale. The test is a chance to make sure the federal government can alert the entire country in the event of a nationwide emergency. Since 2012, local authorities have sent over 86,000 messages through the wireless alert system to mobile devices. WSJ looks at why this alert happened and gives a background on the tech behind emergency alerts. 0:00 National emergency alert system 0:47 Background on emergency alerts 1:30 How the alert works 2:42 What’s next? News Explainers Some days the high-speed news cycle can bring more questions than answers. WSJ’s news explainers break down the day’s biggest stories into bite-size pieces to help you make sense of the news. #FEMA #FCC #WSJ