03/19/2026
TDEM Announces Statewide Drill for Local Public Warning Systems
AUSTIN - The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) announced today a
statewide test of local alerting systems to evaluate effectiveness and functionality
of these public warning tools.
TDEM has begun notifying local partners of the planned drill, which has been
scheduled for April 2, 2026.
“Regular training and testing of public warning systems builds readiness before
disaster strikes and is an important component of community safety,” said Texas
Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd. “Conducting drills to reaffirm
procedures, promote confidence in technological tools, and identify potential
shortfalls is key to ensuring these systems operate with precision, accuracy, and
timeliness when they are needed the most.”
This test of local warning systems is part of TDEM’s commitment to working with
Texas communities to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the
effects of disasters and emergencies throughout the state.
To create consistency and unified coordination across the state, a designated
testing window has been established for local jurisdictions to utilize their primary,
alternate, and contingency systems, allowing for verification of continuity within
alerting local processes.
TDEM has requested participation from designated local alerting authorities, along
with local emergency management programs, school districts, primary and
secondary education programs, college and universities, councils of government,
river authorities, sovereign tribal nations, law enforcement agencies, and any other
entities with emergency alerting capability.
TDEM has also requested participating organizations share with state emergency
management officials an update after completion of the drill with a summary, key
takeaways, and any relevant details that may provide context about the success of
the local system test.
