On October 4, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) conducted a national emergency test. Emergency alert messages were broadcast on radios and televisions, and on mobile phones.
According to FEMA, “the purpose of the Oct. 4 test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level.”
Reuters reported that also on October 4, “Russia tested its own emergency public warning system on Wednesday, sounding sirens across the country and interrupting some television and radio broadcasts.”
Former Alaska governor and 2016 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is amplifying a conspiracy theory that links the national emergency alerts with the Hamas attacks on Saturday, October 7 in Israel.
How does this make sense? Just last week our govt required the most far-reaching EMA Emergency Alert ever; reportedly Russia & other countries did same. Then our ally is brutally attacked but no one saw it coming, no way to warn, & American intel, even, was in the dark?… pic.twitter.com/XWqskTIVyg
— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) October 9, 2023
Sharing a post by Kimberly Klacik, Palin wrote: “How does this make sense? Just last week our govt required the most far-reaching EMA Emergency Alert ever; reportedly Russia & other countries did same. Then our ally is brutally attacked but no one saw it coming, no way to warn, & American intel, even, was in the dark?”
Palin links the emergency alerts in the U.S. and Russia with the attack in Israel, though her implication in the linkage is unclear. Palin certainly puts a question mark after the statement that “American intel, even, was in the dark?”
Note: According to FEMA, the WEA (Wireless Emergency Alert) portion of the test was the third nationwide test, and the second test to all cellular devices.
