First test of National Presidential Alert System Wednesday

PORTLAND (WGME) -- If you have a cell phone, get ready to hear from President Donald Trump Wednesday.

It's the first test of the National Presidential Alert System.

It will allow President Trump and future presidents to issue a warning about a crisis, but it's not without controversy.

CBS 13 has discovered a new lawsuit trying to stop the system.

The Maine Emergency Management Agency is preparing for calls and questions.

“It does not mean the government has your cell phone number, or anything like that, it just means the alert got sent out from cell tower,” Kathleen Rusley of MEMA said.

FEMA says while Wednesday is just a test, the Presidential Alert is designed to get people's attention when there's a potential impact on life or safety.

It can also be used to warn of a national crisis.

“If we have something that's of national significance, we can rapidly notify the American public of that event,” Antwane Johnson of FEMA said.

Still, three New York state residents filed a federal lawsuit trying to block the test, saying it violates free speech and is an unconstitutional seizure of electronic devices.

The say they "do not wish to receive text messages, or messages of any kind, on any topic or subject, from defendant Trump."

“This is something that should not be used for a political agenda,” Former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said.

Johnson says it is designed to be used very specifically, and rarely, and that's how wireless emergency alerts have been used in Maine.

In fact, MEMA says it's only been used once statewide, for an Amber Alert in 2016.

“It is rarely used in Maine, and we're fortunate there are not too many times we have to let people know they have to do something right away,” Rusley said.

The test is scheduled for Wednesday at 2:18 in the afternoon.

You won't be charged for the text alert, and because it's a presidential alert, you can't opt out.

However, some older phones may not get the test message.