Emergency Alert System Mistakenly Sent to Cell Phones Across Nebraska Last Night
By Aaron Bonderson 
, Reporter/Producer Nebraska Public Media
Dec. 22, 2021, 3 p.m. ·
Listen To This Story
The Nebraska State Patrol said it messed up when an emergency alert sounded on many Nebraskans’ cell phones late last night.
The alarm blared around 11:07 CT on Tuesday evening. It's the same alert many Nebraskans hear for severe weather events or AMBER alerts.
The State Patrol said it was in the middle of testing the Emergency Alert System for television and radio broadcasts, when the agency accidentally sent the alert to thousands of phones across the state. The regular EAS runs tests on the third Tuesday of each month anytime between 10 a.m. and 11 p.m. – not late at night on thousands of phones.
The State Patrol apologized for the mistake.
Last night at approximately 11:00 pm CT/10:00 pm MT, the Nebraska State Patrol issued a required monthly test of the Emergency Alert System. The tests are conducted on the third Tuesday of each month and issued by NSP, Nebraska Public Media, and the NEMA on a rotating basis. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/dZgE5FiUj5
— Nebraska State Patrol (@NEStatePatrol) December 22, 2021