Orange County to Test Wireless Emergency Alert System

Orange County to Test Wireless Emergency Alert System

The test is scheduled for Thursday, November 21, at 2:30 pm.

Orange County, Fla. - The Orange County Office of Emergency Management will conduct a live test of the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) on Thursday, November 21, 2024, at 2:30 pm. These essential tests are conducted infrequently to minimize disturbance and to ensure preparation for an emergency.

The test will impact cellular phones in the Lake Buena Vista area. Each phone will sound a distinctive alert tone, and the following message will appear on the phone's screen:

TEST TEST TEST This is a test of Orange County, Florida's Emergency Alerting System. This is only a test. No action is necessary.

The map below shows the area the County will target. The County is preparing for the alert to sound outside of that area due to technological limitations, but the test will be limited to Southwest Orange County.

Wireless Emergency Alerts are designed to warn people in a specified area of an imminent threat to life and property. They can reach either a large countywide audience or can be targeted to a specific location. WEA is one of many tools Orange County uses to keep residents and visitors informed in emergencies. Other methods can be found at https://www.ocfl.net/storm.

For more information about the WEA program, visit https://www.ready.gov/alerts