Clackamas County residents may receive emergency alert test on their cell phones on Aug. 14; no action required

Clackamas County residents may receive an emergency alert on their phone this Thursday afternoon, but should not be alarmed.

Multnomah County is conducting a test of its Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system at 2 p.m., Aug. 14, sending an alert to the cell phones of up to 1 million residents and visitors. Recipients will hear a high-pitched tone, their phone will vibrate twice, accompanied by a text-like message in English and Spanish. This is a system test to assess emergency alert capabilities, and no action is required by people who may receive this alert.

It’s important Clackamas County residents know about this alert because even though Multnomah County is performing this test, Clackamas County residents may receive it.

These types of alerts are broadcast to WEA-capable phones within range of designated cell towers and may go beyond county boundaries depending on the cell tower’s coverage area. Both Clackamas County and Multnomah County are asking the public not to call 911 if they receive this alert unless they’re experiencing a life-threatening emergency.

Here is what the notification will say:

TEST - Multnomah County is testing its Wireless Emergency Alert system. This message confirms that your phone can receive emergency alerts. In an actual emergency, this system would be used to share potentially life-saving information. NO ACTION is required. Visit https://arcg.is/0mDLjG to complete a survey regarding this TEST. END OF TEST.

PRUEBA del sistema de alertas de emergencia por celular del Condado de Multnomah. Este mensaje confirma que su celular puede recibir alertas. En emergencias verdaderas recibira datos vitales por este sistema. MEDIDAS NO requeridas. Participe en una encuesta sobre esta PRUEBA en https://arcg.is/0mDLjG. FIN DE LA PRUEBA.

Certain phones with 3G or limited network access will receive a shorter message that reads:

TEST - Multnomah County is testing its Wireless Emergency Alerts. NO ACTION is required.

Residents can watch this YouTube video to get an idea of the sound that may come through their cell phone.

You can find out more information about this test by going to our alerts page.

Alerts like this are also a good reminder to make sure people are prepared for an actual emergency. Clackamas County encourages all residents to take three steps to be prepared for emergencies:

1. Sign up for PublicAlerts
2. Know your routes
3. Build your Go Kit

For more information about preparedness, go to Clackamas County’s ClackGo Prepared web page.