Another EAS Test Gone Bad

Remember the alert that went out in Hawaii saying a bomb was on the way? Well, there was a similar false alarm over the weekend in Alaska. Tom Taylor's NOW column has the details...

The Anchorage Daily News says “The National Tsunami Warning Center issued what officials considered a routine communications test at 7am [Alaska time] Friday.” But it says “within minutes, people watching TV or listening to the radio heard what sounded like a legitimate tsunami [tidal wave] warning, extending from California to Hawaii and Alaska.” Yes, there was a mention of a “test” – but only after “a list naming almost every coastal county on the West Coast and Alaska.” Even Anchorage, an unlikely target for an ocean-borne disaster. The good news is that unlike Hawaii on that peaceful Saturday morning, there were almost immediate messages correcting the apparent alert. It’s still unclear just what happened. The National Weather Service in Juneau said “We issued a routine communications test message at 7am AKST that has been misinterpreted.” Unlike in Hawaii, the test didn’t go out to cellphones (via WEA) or weather radio. But just like Hawaii, expect the FCC to investigate.