[EAS] Does anyone expect the unexpected?

[Sean Donelan]

On Wed, 7 Sep 2016, Robertm wrote:
> But you are right that stations in areas that don't have immediate 
> threats just program EAN and tests for good reasons.

If every broadcast station was still staffed 24-hours a day, you
don't need automated warning systems when unexpected things happen.
The 24-hour staff could handle it.  Staff can just rip and read.
If you are fortunate to still have fully staffed stations 24 hours
a day, they can handle all types of news reporting including warnings.

When a dam unexpectly breaches, when a chemical plant unexpectly explodes, 
when the weather front unexpectely strengthens, and when the reporters go 
home, please leave a message after the beep....

In most of the country automated systems have replaced 24-hour staff. 
Instead of having 24-hour staff rip-and-read weather warnings off the 
teletype, now there are automated systems which rip-and-read.

Those oddball codes aren't for the stuff you expect to happen, they are 
for the stuff you don't expect to happen. If they never happen, that's
good news.