The Emergency Alert System Test Happened Two Minutes Early—And People Were NOT Happy

As we're all very aware, the Emergency Alert System test happened yesterday... and it came two minutes earlier than expected.

And people were definitely not pleased about it.

The government warned people about the test with the following information provided by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission):

"The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the FCC, will conduct nationwide tests of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)."

"The tests are scheduled for October 4, 2023, at approximately 2:20 pm EDT, with a back-up test date of October 11, 2023. The alerts must comply with the FCC’s accessibility requirements."

Emphasis on "approximately."

Yes, our phones started blaring with the alert about two minutes before expected, prompting reactions ranging from surprise to outrage.

And many took to social media to vent.

A few, however, did find the early sound-off to be entertaining.

People on X chattered so much about the event that "two minutes early" was trending on the social media platform.

Well, lesson learned. Always read the fine print!