Statewide Emergency Alert Drill Set for April 2; Central Texas Agencies to Participate | KNCT

The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) will conduct a statewide emergency alerting drill on Thursday, April 2, giving local jurisdictions across Texas an opportunity to test the systems that deliver urgent warnings to the public.

The coordinated exercise is designed to help communities evaluate the functionality, reach, and reliability of their local alerting tools—systems that play a critical role during severe weather, public safety threats, and other emergencies.

TDEM has invited a wide range of partners to take part, including local alerting authorities, emergency management programs, school districts, higher‑education institutions, councils of government, river authorities, sovereign tribal nations, and law enforcement agencies, along with any organization that maintains an emergency notification capability.

Austin and Travis County to Test Systems Jointly

In Central Texas, Austin Emergency Management and the Travis County Office of Emergency Management will participate together, aligning with the state’s goal of creating a consistent, unified approach to public warning.

To support that coordination, TDEM has established a designated testing window for jurisdictions to activate their primary, alternate, and contingency alerting systems. Depending on where residents live or work, they may receive multiple test messages from different agencies throughout the day.

“Travis County is ready to participate in this important statewide coordinated drill. We are committed to ensuring our community’s public warning systems are fully operational and work as intended,” said Travis County Judge Andy Brown.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson echoed that message, emphasizing the value of preparedness.

“Being able to quickly deliver critical information to the public in the event of an emergency is paramount to keeping our community safe,” Watson said. “Being proactive and testing our emergency alerting systems helps keep our staff trained and ready to send notifications in a real emergency so that the public can be aware.”

What Residents Should Know

Officials encourage the public to take a moment before the drill to ensure their devices are ready to receive alerts. Residents can:

Enable emergency alerts in their smartphone notification settings
Register for regional alerts via phone call, text, or email at WarnCentralTexas.org

Because of how cell towers operate, test messages may extend beyond city or county boundaries. People who live or work near jurisdictional lines may receive alerts from neighboring counties as they test their systems.