Nationwide EAS test on 17 November: tell us what reached you

On Tuesday 17 November 2026 at 2:20 pm Eastern Time, FEMA will run a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS), together with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). If the test is moved, the backup date is 3 December 2026.

Tell us what reached you

We want to know what Deaf, DeafBlind and hard of hearing people really noticed during the test. A text crawl on TV, something on a radio, your phone, a computer, or another person who told you. If nothing reached you, that is a useful answer too.

Use the observation form at ideafe.org/eas-test-2026. It has eight questions and takes about two minutes. Only one question is required: did you notice the test at all? The form is in English and in Spanish.

You can try the form before the test. Answers sent before 2:20 pm Eastern Time on 17 November are kept apart as practice.

What the form asks

• The US state or territory you were in (or "prefer not to say"), and whether you were indoors or outdoors.
• Which devices and channels were with you, and which kind of phone, from a short list (for example iPhone, Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel).
• Whether you noticed the test. This is the one required question.
• What made you notice it: something on a screen, a vibration, a light or flash, another person, or hearing it.
• Whether the text on screen was readable, and in which language.
• Whether any sign language was shown, and on which channel.
• If you have the Deaflare app installed, what it showed.
• One optional line for anything else, up to 280 characters.

The form also notes whether you used it in English or Spanish. When your answers arrive, we add the minute they arrived, the form version, and whether they are practice or test day answers.

What the form does not collect

• We do not ask for your name, email, phone number or address.
• The most precise place we ask for is a US state or territory.
• We do not keep your IP address with your answers. Like any website, our host sees your internet address when you connect, but it is not stored with what you tell us.
• The form refuses any field that is not one of its questions.

Please do not type your name or contact details in the optional line.

How the results are used

International Deaf Emergency (IDE) will count the answers and may quote them in a report to the FCC. Results are shared anonymously: no name is ever attached, and no single observer is identified. Taking part is voluntary and unpaid.

Other ways to answer

You can also send your answers by plain email to hello@ideafe.org. An email shows us your email address; the form does not.

Please share this post with Deaf, DeafBlind and hard of hearing friends, family and groups before 17 November.