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Most of the country receives cell phone 'Presidential Alert' test

The Presidential Alert reached some, but not all.

On Wednesday at 2:18 p.m. EST, almost every single American with a cell phone was expected to receive the same text message. It was FEMA and the FCC's first-ever "Presidential Alert."

It's an emergency test message geared toward furthering a Presidential Alert that FEMA has been working on since 2012.

It read: "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed."

The alert made a loud noise and vibrated for about a minute. The presidential alert was meant to warn the entire country about a national emergency.

13News Now found most Old Dominion University students glued to their phones when the alert sounded. Nicole Traino said she thought the alert was a great way to reach more people.

"If you are doing it for cell phones then everyone is going to know a lot more than if you're only doing it on TVs. I like the fact that I get an alert because I feel like I'm more in the know of what's going on," said Traino.

However, not everyone shared that same sentiment about receiving the nationwide text alert like Kelli Broers.

"I don't want this. Where is the opt-out feature?" asked Broers.

Unlike Amber Alerts, no one can opt out of receiving these Presidential Alerts. FEMA said the only way anyone would not receive the text alert was if their phone was off, or if someone was out of a cell phone tower's range.

But for some, that wasn't the case. Several people like Lindsey Terry took to Facebook posting about not receiving the alert.

"I didn't get the #PresidentialAlert. I don't know if I am relieved or offended," said Terry.

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