FEMA hijacks Midwest broadcast signals with mistaken presidential alert

[seemslikeadream]

DATE June 27, 2007


http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/06/fema-hijacks-mi.html

FEMA hijacks Midwest broadcast signals with mistaken presidential alert
The federal government hijacked radio and TV transmissions in the Midwest yesterday with test signals that triggered the sort of high-level emergency alert that is reserved for use by the president.

The Quincy Herald says alerts were sent at 7:33 a.m., 7:49 a.m., 7:55 a.m. and 8:07 a.m. Radio listeners heard nothing but dead air. TV viewers saw a scrolling message that said: "The Emergency Action Notification Network has issued an emergency action notification for the United States, beginning at ..."

FEMA tells the Associated Press that the mistake affected Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin and Michigan.

"While the interrupted morning drive-time broadcasts proved the Illinois system worked, the fact that what's known as an Emergency Action Notification, or EAN -- the highest level of EAS alert, indicating an emergency message is coming from the White House -- could be relayed mistakenly to override stations was a bit of a jolt, sending engineers scrambling at the affected outlets throughout Illinois and in adjacent media markets such as St. Louis," the Chicago Tribune reports. "Compounding the error, an actual presidential code, minus any audio explanation, was sent rather than a lesser alert or a notification of a systems test of some kind."

A FEMA spokeswoman tells the paper that this "unintentional disruption" occurred after a new piece of equipment in Springfield, Ill., picked up test signals that were being sent between Cleveland and Richmond, Va.
The Congressional Research Service has a report on the emergency alert system.[br />

[BeFree]

1. Little late, eh?

I mean that B52 that flew over them was days ago, and they're just now getting out a warning?

Good job, Brownies.

[seemslikeadream]

2. I'm sorry B I meant to get that date in there

June 27 :hi:

But still kind of odd I hadn't heard about it

[BeFree]

5. You mean they tested the warning

Before they tested the bombing run? Well, isn't that special?

[seemslikeadream]

6. well you know georgie likes to be prepared

[BeFree]

7. Yeah

I remember the warning from the White House on 9/11. Saved thousands of lives, it did.

[Spazito]

3. Hmm, I can't help but notice yet another "unintentional error"

dealing with security, etc. I wonder if this "new piece of equipment" is for the martial law exercise in October?

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

4. "Mistake"? Ha! How come people don't know that FEMA was created for blackops and one of its

famous alumni is Ollie North?

[datadiva]

8. Tune Up? n/t

:wtf:

[renate]

9. Gah! How scary!

Emergency action notification for the entire UNITED STATES? What kind of disaster could possibly involve the entire United States except a full-scale nuclear war?

:scared:

I'd have absolutely freaked out--run to my kids' schools, filled up the tank, run to the grocery store, and then... well, I guess, waited to die.

In retrospect I'd have felt like an idiot for believing it, but this administration has me so completely paranoid... which is, of course, what they've been aiming for.