What to do if you did not receive Thursday’s Multnomah County emergency alert test

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Some in the Portland metro area may have experienced a conspicuous buzzing – similar to an Amber Alert – on their phones detailing an emergency alert early Thursday afternoon.

This was a test of Multnomah County’s Wireless Emergency Alert system, the same one used by the National Weather Service and the president to share critical information in the midst of disaster.

But if you did not receive an alert between 2 and 2:30 p.m., what should you do?

According to the county, this may have occurred due to differing network providers, whether someone has opted out of alerts, or if a device was in airplane mode.

If any of the above are the case, the county says to take this survey, which asks for details including your location, phone model, your phone’s emergency notification settings, as well as who your carrier is to help them troubleshoot.

They further note the survey is voluntary and they will not collect any personal information, including emails or phone numbers.

Emergency management directors have been partnering with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to prepare since January and decided to launch the test following critical communication breakdowns seen during the deadly wildfires in Hawaii, Los Angeles and the devastating Texas floods.

“Wireless emergency alerts did not reach everyone that they were meant to reach. Warnings were not received,” Richard Higgins with Multnomah County Emergency Management said. “We have this system that we want to test and make sure that before an emergency like that happens, it works for us.”

The county added anyone can email emergency.management@multco.us if they have additional questions about the survey.