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NATCHEZ — Don’t be alarmed when you get a message on your cell phone today from the federal government.

Adams County Emergency Management Director Robert Bradford said the Federal Emergency Management Agency, coordinating with the Federal Communications Commission, would conduct a nationwide test of its Emergency Alert System  and Wireless Emergency Alerts today.

The testing will consist of two parts, testing the Emergency Alert System, which will go out to radio stations and television broadcasters, and the Wireless Alert System, which will go out to all consumer cell phones.

The test will take place at 1:20 p.m. today.

The purpose of the test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level, a FEMA spokesman said in a press release.

Bradford said locally the tornado alert system will be tested at 9:15 a.m.