People living in Florida woke up to a sound louder than their alarm clocks on Thursday morning.
An Emergency Alert test was sent to phones across the state around 4:45 a.m.
The message read “Emergency Alert, TEST – This is a TEST of the Emergency Alert System. No action is required.”
The Florida Department of Emergency Management tweeted later in the morning about the alert, saying: “We know a 4:45 a.m. wake up call isn’t ideal. Florida Division of Emergency Management wants to apologize for the early morning text. This particular alert was supposed to be on TV, and not disturb anyone already sleeping. We are taking the appropriate action to ensure this will never happen again and that only true emergencies are sent as alerts in the middle of the night.”
We know a 4:45 AM wake up call isn't ideal 😅@FLSERT wants to apologize for the early morning text. Each month, we test #emergencyalerts on a variety of platforms. This alert was supposed to be on TV, and not disturb anyone already sleeping.
— FL Division of Emergency Management (@FLSERT) April 20, 2023
Many disgruntled Floridians took to social media after the startling alert.
I’d like to know whoever hurt the person who decided to test the Emergency Alert System before 5am. You monster. pic.twitter.com/6aaZn6la6j
— James “Villain” Francosky (@TheVillainGG) April 20, 2023
Me, now wide awake, searching on twitter if anyone else got a test for the emergency alert system at 4:45 am pic.twitter.com/NGLVTdE3hC
— Lil D (@DandyLittleOne) April 20, 2023
Most of the responses on Twitter were not suitable to be shared here.
Minutes later, many heard a test on their televisions for 4:50 a.m. from the Emergency Alert System, which was scheduled.