London: The whole world is in awe of climate change. In this episode, the British government announced on Sunday that it will test the Public Warning System for weather events from next month, ie, a siren-like alert will be sent to mobile phone users in case of any disaster across the UK. The testing will take place across the UK on the evening of Sunday, 23 April, with people receiving a test message on their mobile phones.
The government said the new emergency alerts will be used sparingly, only being sent where there is an immediate risk to people’s lives, so people may not receive an alert for months or years. Terror alerts can also be added to the list of possible events that will trigger a notification over time. Emergency Alerts will be used in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and their initial use will focus on the most severe weather events, including severe flooding in England. The service has already been used in several other countries, including the US, Canada, the Netherlands, and Japan, where it is widely credited with saving lives.
Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden said: ‘We are strengthening our national resilience with a new emergency alert system to deal with a wide range of threats – from floods to wildfires. It will revolutionize our ability to warn and inform those who are in immediate danger, and help us keep people safe. A phone call can save a life.’ The Cabinet Office said that working with mobile broadcasting technology, the Emergency Alert System is set to transform the UK’s warning and information capability. Alerts will only come from the government or emergency services, and they will issue a warning.
