Rude awakening: Emergency alert test sent at 4:45 a.m.

Floridians had an early morning wake-up call Thursday thanks to the state’s emergency alert system.

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WFTV reported that a test of the state’s emergency system went out at 4:45 a.m.

The message read “Emergency Alert” and “TEST - This is a TEST of the Emergency Alert System. No Action is required.”

The message was accompanied by a loud sound that normally comes with Amber Alerts or severe weather, WFAA reported.

Emergency management officials apologized for the early-morning alert, saying it was sent out by mistake, WFTV reported.

“The whole of the emergency management community apologizes for this error and steps will be taken to prevent it from occurring again,” officials said.

A large-scale simulation was planned for Thursday that will help train first responders for major, multi-patient medical emergencies, WFTV reported.

This may not be the last time the alert goes out. The Florida Association of Broadcasters said that test alerts are scheduled to happen every other month at about the same time, WFAA reported. The other months, the test alert happens at around 1:50 p.m.

But you can silence them in most cases.

iPhone:

Government alerts are on by default but you can turn them off.

Apple says first, go to “Settings,” then “Notifications.” Scroll to the bottom of the screen to find “Government Alerts” then turn the type of alert on or off.

You can also toggle whether test emergency alerts are received.

If you have iOS 15.4 or later, go to “Settings,” then “Notifications” and find “Test Alerts” to turn them on or off.

If you are using iOS 15.3 or earlier, you must go to the phone and type *5005*25371# and then hit the call button to enable test alerts. To turn them off, call *5005*25370# then hit the call button to disable them.

Android:

Lifewire says you can also toggle alerts on and off on Androids but it may be slightly different depending on the phone.

The basic steps are to go to “Settings” and ensure the menu is on a list view. Find “Apps and Notifications,” then scroll down to “Advanced.” Select “Emergency Alerts” and adjust your various types of alerts either on or off.

For a Samsung Galaxy S10 or S9, it is a bit different. Go to “Settings,” then “Connections,” then “More connection settings” and choose “Wireless Emergency Alerts.” Hit the settings menu that looks like three dots, then select “Settings” and “Alert types.” Under that menu, you can turn off or on any alerts you want to.

Finally, for older Android phones, Lifewire says you have to go to “Messages,” then “Settings,” then “More,” then “Emergency Alerts” to turn them on or off.