Team Trump has delayed plans to send a message to the nation’s cellphones testing a previously unused presidential alert system that aims to warn the public about national emergencies, officials said on Monday.

The test message was originally scheduled for 2:18 p.m. New York time on Thursday but is being pushed back to the same time on Oct. 3 because of the continuing response to Hurricane Florence, FEMA said in a statement.

Florence slammed North Carolina on Friday as a hurricane and has caused widespread flooding in the Carolinas.

FEMA, which will send the alert, said last week that the messages would bear the headline “Presidential Alert,” and that phones would emit a loud tone and have a special vibration.

The test had been scheduled to ensure that the alert system would work in the event of a national emergency, and cellphone users would not be able to opt out.

The message will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”

Former President Obama signed a law in 2016 requiring FEMA to create a system allowing the president to send cellphone alerts regarding public safety emergencies.

The country’s wireless emergency alert system was started in 2012 and has issued over 36,000 alerts for situations such as missing children, extreme weather and natural disasters, but never a presidential directive.

Cellphone users can opt out of natural disaster or missing children alerts.

In its statement last week on the test messages, FEMA said the presidential alerts can be used only for national emergencies and the president has sole responsibility for determining when such alerts are used.

With Reuters