4:45 AM in the morning...GOOD MORNING FLORIDA!!!

[GreyLord]

No, not posting this at 4:45 AM...quite the opposite.

Hilarious...or horrific...that's the question that should be asked.

An emergency alert system test was done at 4:45 AM in the morning. I guess they REALLY wanted to have Florida woken up early today!!!

The entire state is in a zombified state today. If you ever wanted to see what happens when Zombies get up and wander the world...look only to Florida!

Crazy thing to do. I understand it was a mistake though, I think someone is going to be yelled at...A LOT over the coming days.

People are talking about it.

What I'm wondering is what exactly occurred to have what is normally a TV/radio test happen to everyone's phone in Florida as well. It's strange and wierd. Hopefully, they'll be able to fill everyone in on what exactly occurred to cause this mistake. Meanwhile, the zombie day is coming to an end.

 

[Ryujin]

That really sucks, but I can do you one better, @GreyLord. In 2020 we had a false nuclear incident warning, on our emergency alert system. Cell phones and cable TV boxes, all over the Province, were blaring an alert siren and showing on-screen messages of most dire emergency. It wasn't quite 7:30 in the morning, on a Sunday.

Mistaken Pickering, Ont. nuclear alert sparked panic, emails show

Last January’s emergency alert sent in error about an incident at the Pickering Generating Station sparked a flurry of panicked messages.

toronto.ctvnews.ca

 

[darjr]

Didn’t the entirety of Hawaii get a fake "real" tsunami warning, or missile attack warning?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

If you ever wanted to see what happens when Zombies get up and wander the world...look only to Florida!

Too many jokes. I am paralyzed by all the choices.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Didn’t the entirety of Hawaii get a fake "real" tsunami warning, or missile attack warning?

It was a missile attack warning in 2018. There was an employee who had a troubling history of confusing drills with reality who, nevertheless, was in charge of the "alert everyone in Hawaii of incoming missile through unified tv announcement, radio announcement, and cell phone notification" button.

Edit: For those who weren't around for American media at the time, is was a period of rising concern and press coverage about the nuclear capabilities and ballistic missile range of North Korea possibly being able to reach US soil, particularly in Hawaii, Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest, and the North Koreans were doing some bellicose posturing as they are wont to do. So when Hawaiians saw the alert:

...on their phones, the natural interpretation of this was that a nuclear warhead was inbound coming for them, and while some people did seek immediate shelter many others simply reasoned that death was inevitable and focused on saying goodbye to loved ones, etc.

Fortunately there had just been a test of the nuclear siren warning systems the prior couple months for the first time in decades, so people generally knew to be suspicious when those didn't sound in most communities (though it seems in a few they did, presumably from some local decision maker jumping the gun).

 

[Ryujin]

Too many jokes. I am paralyzed by all the choices.

Well, they did finally make a limited series called "Florida Man"

 

[Homicidal_Squirrel]

No, not posting this at 4:45 AM...quite the opposite.

Hilarious...or horrific...that's the question that should be asked.

An emergency alert system test was done at 4:45 AM in the morning. I guess they REALLY wanted to have Florida woken up early today!!!

The entire state is in a zombified state today. If you ever wanted to see what happens when Zombies get up and wander the world...look only to Florida!

Crazy thing to do. I understand it was a mistake though, I think someone is going to be yelled at...A LOT over the coming days.

People are talking about it.

What I'm wondering is what exactly occurred to have what is normally a TV/radio test happen to everyone's phone in Florida as well. It's strange and wierd. Hopefully, they'll be able to fill everyone in on what exactly occurred to cause this mistake. Meanwhile, the zombie day is coming to an end.

I had my personal and work phones go off. They were each in different parts of the house, so I had to stumble around trying to find them to stop the ridiculousness. Worst part was that i'd gotten to sleep at 3:30 am, so I was dead tired.

I doubt we'll get a reason for it going off at that time across the entire state. It's Florida. We do stupid things for any or no reason at all.

 

[Lidgar]

It's Florida. We do stupid things for any or no reason at all.

This explains much. Thank you.

 

[aco175]

We signed up for the school department to send out notifications. It started with the basic snow delay or even report cards come out today messages. They evolved into lockdowns that were already over for things like a medical problem or to bring in drug dogs or whatever. Eventually they now include things like supporting the school play or basketball game, which is becoming a lot. I have gotten to the point where I just kind of ignore them and figure my wife or kids will fill me in if it is important.

A lot like the message chains her family starts and I ignore after the second time I pick up the phone.

 

[Umbran]

What I'm wondering is what exactly occurred to have what is normally a TV/radio test happen to everyone's phone in Florida as well. It's strange and wierd. Hopefully, they'll be able to fill everyone in on what exactly occurred to cause this mistake. Meanwhile, the zombie day is coming to an end.

My expectation is "testing, with one bit not flipped."

The problem with broad alert systems is that testing to make sure the live system does what it is supposed to has to run almost to the point of sending alerts, but not beyond. And if the "not beyond" part is the thing that isn't working exactly as it should, well...