National emergency alerts heard around the world

On Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 2:20 p.m. ET, every TV, radio and cellphone in the United States plans to send out an emergency alert, as a test of the national system. Other countries have their own alert systems as well. The World’s Marco Werman gives a global overview of the buzzes, beeps and blasts that are designed to grab people’s attention in national emergencies worldwide.

Are you with The World?

The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.

When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.