Texas emergency officials will hold a statewide test of local public warning systems on April 2, 2026.
The test will evaluate the effectiveness of emergency alert capabilities across the state on multiple platforms. Emergency alert systems are used to warn residents about severe weather, natural disasters, public safety threats and other emergencies requiring immediate public notification.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management started notifying local partners in March about the planned exercise designed to test primary, alternate and contingency alerting systems.
"Regular training and testing of public warning systems builds readiness before disaster strikes and is an important component of community safety," said Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd.
Central Texas agencies are expected to participate in the exercise as part of the coordinated statewide effort.
The statewide drill will include participation from:
- local emergency management programs
- school districts
- colleges and universities
- councils of government
- river authorities
- tribal nations
- law enforcement agencies
- other entities with emergency alerting capabilities
TDEM has established a designated testing window to create consistency and unified coordination across Texas, from 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Platforms involved in the testing could include:
- Emergency Alert System (EAS)
- Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)
- Outdoor warning sirens
- Local notification systems
Following the drill, participating organizations will be required to provide state emergency management officials with a summary of results, key takeaways and relevant details about their local system performance.
