NASHVILLE – Were you rattled this morning by Tennessee’s unannounced test of its statewide emergency alert system over your smart phone or radio?
Well, Patrick Sheehan, director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, has gotten your messages loud and clear – and is responding with an apology.
“We have received calls and messages from hundreds of Tennesseans letting us know about problems with receiving messages and the concerns caused by the messages received,” Sheehan said in a statement. “In many instances the caveats that the message was part of a test were not received, making it seem like an emergency was imminent.”
Sheehan said that “while many are understanding, knowing that we need to test our systems, many have voiced their concerns about the angst this test caused. Please accept my sincerest apologies for any inconvenience today’s test caused.”
The purpose of the statewide test of the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts to mobile devices was to assess the readiness and effectiveness of the system used to communicate to the public during emergencies. TEMA says it is “essential to ensure we can communicate to save lives and protect property.”