Government Emergency alert on your phone

Maybe my memory is playing tricks (I'm 70!) but, as a kid growing up in Redcar, I seem to remember occasional alarms sounding, warnings to not open windows etc, when ICI was about to blow up (again), and gas us all.
My dad was a member of the Civil Defence Corps. Sounds a bit Dads' Army now, but I can see the sense in familiarising the population with some sort of emergency alert system.
 
Out of all the things to be angry about regarding government this isn't one of them.

I do like the idea on a local level system like this for important updates:

WARNING: Tesco is out of Brocoli

FOR INFORMATION: Spence is playing again tonight and no thread has been posted on fmttm

BEWARE: Wasp nest spotted in Linthorpe. Ideas on clearance welcomed.

Would certainly be useful.
Has anyone lost a rabbit?
 
An obvious use for this messaging system will be flooding. It's been getting worse for years in the UK. I can remember it recently being very bad in York and it happens 3-4 times a year up the Dales. I nearly got stranded in it.

What else? Maybe a terrorist incident? Nukes obviously? Maybe also when tomatoes and peppers are running low at Tesco.
 
When they announced this I immediately Googled how to deactivate these types of alerts on my phone. I cannot envisage a single scenario when I would benefit from it.
If you are in an area where flash floods/wildfires are happening
Ongoing terrorist attack/active shooting in your area

Don’t really understand why anyone would turn it off, plenty of other countries have it and it works. It’s not like it’s just to send out random messages
 
If you are in an area where flash floods/wildfires are happening
Ongoing terrorist attack/active shooting in your area

Don’t really understand why anyone would turn it off, plenty of other countries have it and it works. It’s not like it’s just to send out random messages
Brought in by a blue government so it automatically makes it bad JM. You know how it goes by now surely? 👀

The examples you listed are all great examples of scenarios where this text alert system will save lives. They could even expand on it to help mind missing children.
 
If you are in an area where flash floods/wildfires are happening
Ongoing terrorist attack/active shooting in your area

Don’t really understand why anyone would turn it off, plenty of other countries have it and it works. It’s not like it’s just to send out random messages
Each to their own 👍
 
Brought in by a blue government so it automatically makes it bad JM. You know how it goes by now surely? 👀

The examples you listed are all great examples of scenarios where this text alert system will save lives. They could even expand on it to help mind missing children.

I'm red and don't think it's a bad idea. I'm not sure why anyone would think it is a poor idea tbh.
 
Ok, if we have to have it then fine , but there's a few things hindering it as it stands

Government Emergency alert on your phone​

is never going to take off. We need an acronym for starters, today's world is all about acronyms. I'm not here to do the job for government but maybe GEMA might do it ,, like Government Emergency Mobile Alert. 🤷‍♂️

Also we, we need some influencers to take this up and help in spreading the new knowledge
And also , we oldies need a bit of training too about what to do , I suggest the Gov take the music and verses and video of the acclaimed Baby Shark song and use this to train us all

Small alert , doo doo do doo doo do
Small alert , doo doo do doo doo do
Small alert , doo doo do doo doo do
Small alert

Average alert , doo doo do doo doo do
Average alert , doo doo do doo doo do
Average alert , doo doo do doo doo do
Average alert

Big alert ..... etc

all with dance actions , should do it
 
We have it over here, they test it every so often. Can't disable it as it's used for civil defense alerts for earthquake and tsunamis etc.

They have it in the US too, and use it for things like missing children etc - I really don't see the issue with it to be honest, it was hardly intrusive when I'd get one every few months
 
They have it in the US too, and use it for things like missing children etc - I really don't see the issue with it to be honest, it was hardly intrusive when I'd get one every few months
I disabled all the emergency alerts except the presidential one and set the alert sound to silent for that one. Have to say it was fun in the office when an alert was sent - phones going off all over the place.
 
I disabled all the emergency alerts except the presidential one and set the alert sound to silent for that one. Have to say it was fun in the office when an alert was sent - phones going off all over the place.

I didn't even know about them when I moved there, gave me a shock when I got my first one as my phone was on loud.
 
I didn't even know about them when I moved there, gave me a shock when I got my first one as my phone was on loud.
I think that's by design and the noise was almost deafening as they all went off at the same time - all the institutional phones were on Verizon.
 
Back
Top