You should get a text from President Donald Trump on Wednesday. Here’s why

Oct. 02--Don't be surprised if you get a text around 1:18 p.m. Wednesday from President Donald Trump's office.

No, it doesn't mean you've won a campaign promotion -- or that he wants to know what you think about an issue.

It's a test of the national alert system that will let any president reach out to people across the country in the event of an emergency.

It is scheduled to come through on smart phones some time after 1:18 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday as a "Presidential Alert."

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials say this is to "assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure for distribution of a national message and determine whether improvements are needed."

The message to be delivered: "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed."

The goal the Wireless Emergency Alerts is to be able to reach out to the public through cell phones about critical situations.

Cell phone users have the ability to opt out of certain types of emergency alerts, such as weather notifications and Amber Alerts. But that's not an option on presidential alerts.

This will be the first national Wireless Emergency Alert, according to FEMA. It was originally planned for Sept. 20, but was postponed because of Hurricane Florence.

Anna Tinsley: 817-390-7610, @annatinsley

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