Thousands didn’t receive presidential alert

“I did not…I didn’t get the text…No…I did not,” many on Idaho State’s campus said today.

They are not alone. Thousands of Americans didn’t receive the presidential alert yesterday, but one thing seems to be connecting many.

“I have Verizon…Yeah…Verizon…Yeah, I have Verizon,” many of the student’s said.

Even the man in charge of Bannock County emergency services didn’t get it.

“I don’t know what the parameters were, I was informed that it was coming on,” Sheriff Lorin Nielsen said. “I’m the emergency services director for the county, and so I knew that I didn’t get it.”

Still, millions were alerted by the test yesterday.

“I definitely got the text yesterday, came through loud and clear and the test worked really great for me,” said Pat Harris.

But Harris uses AT&T and found it concerning that others didn’t get the message.

“You would have thought that everybody would have been able to be reached you know the technology that our government is supposed to be able to have,” she said.

But for those who didn’t get the message, there is no need to panic according to Sheriff Nielsen.

“It was a test, it wasn’t meant to hit everybody,” Nielsen said. “It was mostly their first broadcast to see what it would hit, what it wouldn’t, what effectiveness and what needs to be tweaked.”

And even with updates and changes, it’s still impossible to reach everyone.

“There is no way you’re going to hit, we’ve got some families that are off the grid, off the grid means they are off the grid,” Nielsen explained.

Even for those, local law enforcement has systems in place to alert and evacuate if needed.

No connection between wireless carrier and reception of the alert is currently known.

The presidential alert is like an Amber Alert for missing children and weather alerts for incoming thunderstorms or tornadoes, only it goes to virtually every cellphone in the country, and you can’t turn it off.

FEMA wants to hear from people who had trouble receiving the alert. If you didn’t get it or if you received it multiple times, the agency asks you to email them at FEMA-National-Test@fema.dhs.gov with information like what device your use, your wireless provider, whether you were using their phone when the alert went out and whether others nearby received the alert.

Homeland Security would also like your feedback to help improve the national notification system. You can fill out the form HERE.

Verizon Wireless was not immediately available for comment.