Emergency Alert System Not Wired

President Obama on Wednesday declared American Samoa a major disaster after the territory was struck by an earthquake and tsunami. But if the president wanted to spread that message nationwide, today, it wouldn't get very far.

A government auditor on Wednesday testified before Congress that the federal government has made limited progress in updating the Cold War-era Emergency Alert System that relies on radio and television broadcasts. A lack of specific timetables and goals has slowed installation of a new system that would spread messages through other media channels, called the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS). Since many Americans get their information from handhelds, PCs and cell phones, this is a problem.

Mark L. Goldstein, director of physical infrastructure at the Government Accountability Office, testified:

Management turnover, inadequate planning, and a lack of stakeholder coordination have delayed implementation of IPAWS and left the nation dependent on an antiquated, unreliable national alert system. FEMA's delays also appear to have made IPAWS implementation more difficult in the absence of federal leadership as states have forged ahead and invested in their own alert and warning systems. In order that IPAWS achieve the federal government's public alert and warning goals, it is essential that FEMA define the specific steps necessary in realizing a modernized and integrated alert system and report on the progress toward achieving that end.

He was speaking to a hearing of a House subcommittee, which was appropriately titled: "This is NOT a Test: Will the Nation's Emergency Alert System Deliver the President's Message to the Public?"