The Sevier County Emergency Management Agency and the City of Gatlinburg will conduct an Emergency Alert Systems test on all the Outdoor Warning Siren Systems in Sevier County between noon and 12:30 p.m. today.

There are 15 different sirens in Sevier County and 9 in Gatlinburg which provide two different types of alerts. Mechanical sirens provide an audible siren only, while modulator units provide an audible siren and verbal instructions.

Don’t be alarmed, it’s only a test. Cellphones across the country will sound at 2:20p when FEMA and the FCC run a test of the Emergency Alert system..

You should only receive the alert on your cellphone once, a message in either English or Spanish reading “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”

Televisions, and radios will also broadcast a similar alert from 2:20-2:50p.

The EAS system is used to alert the public during emergencies such as natural disasters, Amber Alerts and other safety threats.