City of Houston to test Wireless Emergency Alert system on Friday

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Published  September 4, 2025 12:46pm CDT
FOX 26 Houston
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The Brief

    • Residents in the Houston jurisdiction will receive an alert on their phone as the City of Houston Office of Emergency Management conducts a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) test on Friday.
    • According to the City, the message is only a text and no action is required.
    • The alert will be sent between 11 and 11:15 a.m.

HOUSTON - The City of Houston Office of Emergency Management will be conducting a wireless emergency alert (WEA) test on Friday on phones within Houston's jurisdiction.

According to the City, the message is only a text and no action is required.

Houston Wireless Emergency Alert test

What we know:

Those with a WEA-capable phones will receive the alert between 11 and 11:15 a.m. Only one alert will be sent to each person, either in English or Spanish, depending on their phone's language setting.

There is a possibility those in neighboring areas may also receive an alert because of cell tower coverage.

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If you have an older phone, you might receive a shorter version of the message.

What they're saying:

The City reports the devices will receive the following message: 

"TEST Wireless Emergency Alert from the City of Houston Office of Emergency Management: No Action Required. TEST ALERT. For more information visit HoustonOEM.org."

In Spanish, it will say:

"PRUEBA de Alerta Inalámbrica de Emergencia de la Oficina de Manejo de Emergencias de Houston: No se requiere acción. ALERTA DE PRUEBA. Para más información, visite HoustonOEM.org."

Why is Houston testing the public alert system?

The backstory:

These tests ensure the public alert systems work in case there is a real emergency such as severe weather, chemical incidents, active threats, or other urgent hazards.

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The WEA system allows the Houston OEM to send geographically targeted alerts to phones in situations where immediate life-saving action is required.

What you can do:

Residents are encouraged to turn on their emergency alerts.

In order to do this:

  • iPhone:Go to Settings > Notifications, scroll to the bottom under Government Alerts, and ensure Emergency Alerts are turned ON.
  • Android:Go to Settings > Safety & Emergency > Wireless Emergency Alerts, and make sure Allow Alerts are enabled.

The Source: Information provided by the City of Houston Office of Emergency Management

Houston