A new emergency alert system is being tested by the UK government on April 23. The alert sound has been shared on Twitter, and it will temporarily block the phone’s functionality until the owner has acknowledged the notification.
“A new system that will give the Government and emergency services the capability to send an alert directly to mobiles phones when there is a risk to life has been launched today,” according to the Gov.uk website.
“Working with mobile broadcasting technology, the Emergency Alerts system will transform the UK’s warning and informing capability; providing a means to get urgent messages quickly to nearly 90 percent of mobile phones in a defined area; providing clear instructions about how best to respond.”
The new emergency alerts will warn UK residents of life-threatening situations such as flooding and wildfires. While a novel technology for the UK, it mirrors similar schemes that have already been rolled out in the US, Canada, and Japan where it’s been credited with saving lives during extreme weather events.
The emergency alert will appear on smartphones’ home screens accompanied by a siren-like sound and vibrations for up to 10 seconds. Other apps will be temporarily blocked until the user has acknowledged the emergency alert. It will inform the nature of the life-threatening situation, and give advice on what residents should do to mitigate the threat.
A nationwide test follows successful rehearsals in East Suffolk and Reading, and will take place in the evening on April 23. It will differ from the iPhone’s existing emergency alert system, which has accidentally called ambulances for people on rollercoasters in the past.
“Being able to communicate warnings in a timely and accurate manner during incidents is really important to help people take action to protect themselves, their families, and their neighbours,” said Executive Director for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management at the Environment Agency, Caroline Douglass.
“This year is the 70th anniversary of the 1953 east coast surge, one of the worst flood events in our recent history, which saw over 300 people perish in England – while our ability to warn and inform has come on leaps and bounds since then, Emergency Alerts is a fantastic addition to our toolbox that we can use in emergency situations.”
Although there is plenty of evidence that these nationwide alerts save lives, when they go wrong, they go really wrong, as the 2018 Hawaii accidental alert to seek shelter due to an inbound ballistic missile goes to show.
Source Link: Emergency Alert Test To Ping Every Phone In The UK, Temporarily Blocking Apps
