EBS to EAS

Everyone growing up in the USA with a television or radio has probably had the opportunity to hear the testing of the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) via TV and radio stations. The loud high-pitched series of tones and beeping noises that are played are followed by the familiar phrase "This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. This is only a test. If this had been an actual emergency....”

The EBS was implemented in 1963 during the Kennedy Administration, and was actually begun as a way to allow the president to address the entire nation at one time, particularly in the event of a national emergency. In 1996 all EBS systems “went digital” and thus the EBS became the Emergency Alert System. (EAS)

The EAS was an improvement, it could transmit to cable and satellite as well as send and receive coded messages,. Not only that, the messages could be automatically translated into various languages by their receivers. Today digital messages from anywhere can be sent anywhere in the world and translated much fast than they were in 1996. They can be handled at almost the speed of light.

Even with the improvements, even with the near speed of light capabilities, the EAS is not always used for an emergency and it may or may not work as advertised. For example on September 11, 2001, when jet weilding terroists slammed into the Twin Towers in New York, the EAS was not even activated. It was not activated in Washingtone either when the White House was ablaze. The reason being that the national media provided the warnings and alerts or the situations as quickly as the information could be distributed.

In February 2005, Westport Connecticut experienced an EAS false alarm when someone pressed the wrong button. Instead of running a test, the system alerted viewers that the state was being evacuated. The governor immediately issued a statement to reassure residents that this was a false alarm, but the local police reported that they got no calls from anyone on the matter.

Theoretically, the EAS is a great system, but there is definitely the possibility of human error or misinformation. There is also possibly better ways available to communicate the news and information it was intened to deliver. It's also possible, as history has proven, that people will be warned and then, simply ignore it.