Emergency Alerts.

[Workingman]

On Sunday the 23rd of April the government is going nationwide with a test of its new alert system. Almost all mobile phones will get the 10 second blast and warning. It is only a test like those for fire alarms and even though it has been widely advertised you just know that some people will go all wibbly-wobbly and panic

I am not really against such warnings as they will mostly be used for things like floods, high winds, snow and ice, wildfires and so on, but I wonder how they will work in real time.

For a flood will the warning only go out to areas under immediate threat? And what can residents do over and above what we have now from the radio and TV news channels? Also, this winter we have had virtually countrywide warnings for high winds and snow and ice, yet many of us in those areas had nothing more than a strong breeze and not even one snowflake.

There is a danger of an element of "the boy who cried "Wolf"" creeping in and we could get complacent. It has happened in the US and Japan. If these (real) warnings are going to work they have to be done right.

[cromwell]

I've done a bit of research on this and my phone is switched off for this; so is MrsC's.
Some people are going to have a massive shock come next Sunday.

[Workingman]

I am intrigued so will leave my phone on. I might actually go somewhere crowded like the supermarket or the local park to clock the reactions of the great British public.

[Workingman]

As I am reading through things I have noticed a sunburn warning for today when it could get to 18 ºC. Quick, slather yourself in factor 1200 and buy an emergency parasol!

It's, err, 6 ºC and misty here so I don't think I will bother.

[Suff]

I know it is coming and will watch to see what happens. Whether it is just phone connected to the UK network or UK phone abroad.

Will be useful to know.

[TheOstrich]

If it's a tornado or a tsunami, I can understand it, but I don't think there's likely to be such an immediate threat to life in this country.
Our mobile phones are usually off by default. I assume they won't sound the alarm then.

[Workingman]

Suff, they will only be on 4G and above UK networks and also only on compatible devices (phone or tablet) on IOS 14.5 / Android 11 or later.

Because of the above millions of people will not get them even with their phones and notifications turned on. It looks as though the 'spurts have gone all 'group-think' and believe that we are all precious teenagers who need the latest bells and whistles to operate and get a new one every Christmas. "Quick, get the latest app on how to close the velcro straps on your new £500 trainers - with video!"

My thinking is that the alerts will be of more use to those of us who are 35+ plus and many of us will still be plodding along on IOS 10 / 11 or Android 6 - 9.

[Workingman]

Ossie, if your mobile phone is older than Sept 2020 it is unlikely to be compatible so will not get the alert. That's about 40% of all phones. If your phone is off then it matters not what operating system it has.

[Kaz]

I hadn't heard about it, so I expect lots of people will be surprised by this, or even alarmed!

Still, not as bad as the fake nuclear alert my friend in Hawaii received a few years back! Now that was scary. It was around the time that North Korea was flexing its muscles, so not beyond the bounds of possibility......

This is a link to an article about what happened, my friend's experience was very similar that day

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/par ... mh2aODpifQ

[Workingman]

Kaz, you were on holiday when this hit the streets, you'll catch up.

The Hawaii hack was widely publicised and there were others in Japan (2), Canada and NZ.

Having issued a sunburn warning for Sunday the met office has now issued a yellow warning for wind and rain in the west of the UK and NI for Tuesday and Wednesday. Wind and rain... in the UK!?

I hope that the emergency alert system is not to be used for these sorts of things.