JACKSON, Wyo. — On Friday morning between 9 a.m. and noon, Teton County will conduct its first-ever live Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) test.
Teton County Emergency Management (TCEM) wrote in a press release that individuals within the county who have enabled WEA test alerts on their cell phones can expect to receive a test alert message. The message will clearly state that it is a test. Friday’s test will be targeted to the entirety of Teton County, including Yellowstone National Park. No registration is required.
“Despite the ability to ‘geotarget’ alerts using polygons on a map, there is often overshoot, or geographic spillover,” reads the statement. “Individuals near the county line in neighboring counties should be aware that they could receive the test WEA.”
To assess the success of the mass message test, TCEM is asking anyone who receives the message to fill out a short survey after, found here.
WEAs are used rarely, according to the press release, typically only for severe hazards such as wildfire evacuation when immediate protective action is needed. WEAs are designed to reach all mobile devices in the alert zone, including visitors who have not subscribed to the Teton_WY Alerts system.
Follow the directions below to enable alert tests on mobile devices:
- Apple devices: Be sure the device is running the latest operating system. Navigate to Settings > Notifications > Government Alerts and slide the “Test Alerts” button to ON.
- Android devices: Navigate to Settings > Safety and Emergency > Wireless Emergency Alerts. Slide the “State and Local Tests” button to ON.
- Other Devices: Search within settings for “Emergency” or “Wireless Alerts.”
