Emergency alert test happens today – here’s everything you need to know
Tens of millions of phones will receive an emergency alert today as the government tests the system nationwide for the first time.
At 3pm, a distinct sound and vibration will be accompanied by a message telling people a new service has launched that will “warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby”.
It will last about 10 seconds, and Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden has assured people they can simply “swipe away” the notification.
“Keep calm and carry on – that is the British way, and it is exactly what the country will do when they receive this test alert at 3pm today,” he said.
Ministers hope it will get the public used to what the alerts look and sound like, in case they need to be sent out in future during crises such as extreme weather, flooding, and fires.
Mr Dowden said “it really is the sound that could save your life”.
But critics have said the alerts themselves could put people’s safety at risk, including drivers who may become distracted and domestic violence victims who keep a secret phone.
Meanwhile, sports stadiums, theatres, and cinemas are among those planning how to guard against disruption to large events when Sunday’s test goes off.
The emergency alert will appear like this
The company that helped build the UK’s alert system has worked on the same techn for governments and mobile networks in other countries, and insisted it will be a “game changer” for public safety.
Everbridge has already deployed it in the likes of Germany, Spain, New Zealand, and Singapore.
Valerie Risk, vice president of public safety systems, told Sky News: “We’ve had church bells, fires, smoke signals; humans have been alerting populations for centuries in many ways and this is the next generation.”
How does the technology work?
The emergency alerts are broadcast via mobile phone masts and work on all 4G and 5G phone networks.
That’s different to how the government sent out lockdown orders during the pandemic, when SMS messages were sent directly to phone numbers.
It means whoever sends an alert does not need your number, so it’s not something you need to reply to, nor will you receive a voicemail if you miss it. No location or other data will be collected, either.
It also means alerts could be sent to tablets and smartwatches on their own data plans.
Anyone in the range of a mast will receive an alert, and they can be tuned based on geography – for example, Manchester residents would not need an alert about life-threatening flooding in Cornwall.
Manuel Cornelisse, Everbridge’s senior director for public warnings, told Sky News the tech had proved its worth in other countries, including his homeland of the Netherlands.
“It’s a very well proven technology with very strong, quality reach,” he said.
“And because it’s part of the very highest priority of signalling, the service will always remain available, even if a network gets congested when there is massive usage (such as at a sports ground).”
Read more:
How emergency alerts work in other countries
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‘The sound that could save your life’
Could it go wrong?
There have been instances of emergency alerts not going to plan.
In 2020, an emergency alert warning millions of people of an “incident” at a nuclear power plant near Toronto in Canada was pushed out in error.
Two years prior, Hawaiian authorities accidentally warned people of an incoming ballistic missile strike.
And Florida residents had a rude awakening this week, when a test alert mistakenly blared out at 4.45am.
The state has contracted Everbridge for its emergency alert system since 2016, and Governor Ron DeSantis has demanded “swift accountability” for the mistake.
Lorenzo Marchetti, the firm’s public affairs manager, said Florida’s system uses different tech than the UK’s, but acknowledged it is not immune to human error.
“We are investigating, it appears to be an unfortunate procedural error in the dispatching of the message,” he said.
“Sometimes these kinds of things might be out of the control of the technology itself.”
Ms Risk said the sending of messages is “very closely managed and regulated”, and mistakes were “very rare”.
Sending alerts requires high-level security access, and there is a confirmation prompt before any are sent.
‘Please don’t turn it off’
Incidents like those in Florida may give sceptics more reason to want to switch the alerts off.
Mr Dowden has urged people not to ahead of Sunday afternoon’s test, which will be sent from a national situation centre inside the Cabinet Office.
Roger Hargreaves, director of the government’s emergency COBRA committee, warned switching it off would be like taking batteries out of your smoke alarm.
He added: “The message that people get through this system is one that contains information that is useful to them, helps protect life and limb, sets out specific action we would like them to take.”
Will alerts be used often?
Ministers have insisted alerts will only be sent in “life-threatening” situations.
But those behind the system have seen increased adoption by governments in recent years, with the pandemic and climate-related emergencies increasing the need for fast and direct communication with the public.
The EU has introduced a directive requiring member states to have a phone-based public warning system.
Ms Risk said the tech will keep improving, with satellite the potential next frontier after being rolled out on some smartphones to help people get emergency help without any mobile masts nearby.
A “technical issue” at British Airways has delayed flights, reportedly for thousands of passengers.
Travel journalist Simon Calder said on X: “British Airways IT system failure is causing delays of 1-2 hours on many BA flights this evening… As delays build up I fear there will be cancellations tonight/tomorrow.”
In a statement on Monday evening, British Airways said flights were “currently operating, but are experiencing delays” and that its teams were working to “resolve a technical issue affecting some of our systems”.
Later they said it had been resolved: “Our teams worked hard to resolve an issue we experienced for a short time earlier this evening.
“We’ve apologised to customers for delays to their flights and ensured they were able to reach their destinations as planned.”
Earlier media reports suggested dozens of flights were grounded and that communications systems were affected.
One X user pictured people queueing on the tarmac in Verona, Italy. “What has happened to the nations airline? Not fit for purpose,” they said.
Replying to another X user BA said: “Our website is down. We are doing all we can to return online as soon as possible.
“Hopefully not too long before the Captain has his load sheet. Thanks for your understanding. Have a good journey when it is safe for you to be airborne.”
A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport said: “We are aware of a technical issue that British Airways are investigating, and we will be working with them to provide updates to passengers as soon as they are available. Heathrow systems are operating as normal.”
In June many British Airways (BA) flights in Heathrow were delayed by several hours by a “technical fault” with baggage handling.
BA said there had been a “temporary technical fault” which had disrupted its baggage system at the airport and had apologised for the problems it caused.
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In January “intermittent issues” with the airline’s app and website meant customers could not access them.
BA’s customer score for long-haul flights was the joint third lowest out of 17 carriers analysed by Which? in February.
The UK is being warned to brace for a further cold snap with “disruptive snow” set to sweep in across parts of the country as temperatures plummet.
The Met Office has issued three new yellow weather alerts for snow and ice from Monday.
The forecaster has warned up to 20cm of snow may accumulate in the worst affected areas as the country experiences its “first taste of winter”.
Check the forecast in your area
It comes as the first amber cold health alerts of the season have been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) covering all of England, except the South, until 6pm on Saturday.
An amber warning is issued when the weather is likely to “cause significant impacts across health and social care services”, according to the HSA.
That includes the potential for a rise in deaths, particularly among older people or those with health conditions.
Amber cold health alerts cover most of England. Pic: UKHSA
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at the UKHSA, said: “It is vital to check in on vulnerable friends, family and neighbours to ensure they are well prepared for the onset of cold weather. Particularly if they are elderly or otherwise at increased risk.”
Meanwhile yellow health alerts – the second lowest alert level – are in place for the South East, South West and London.
Temperatures dropped to -7.8C (18F) in Tulloch Bridge in the Scottish Highlands in the early hours of Monday, which is the lowest temperature the UK has seen since last winter.
Snow dusted grounds across Aberdeenshire, including at Glenshee Ski Centre and at Corgarff, as well as alongside the A939 near The Lecht in the Cairngorms.
A dusting of snow at Glenshee Ski Centre. Pic: PA
Snow and ice surround The Watchers sculpture at Corgaff in Aberdeenshire. Pic: PA
Snow also blanketed the mountain of Ingleborough, while there was a sprinkling of frost near Clapham, in the Yorkshire Dales.
The snow-capped mountain of Ingleborough in the Yorkshire Dales. Pic: PA
Clapham in the Yorkshire Dales. Pic: PA
More expected in coming days
Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey said snow has mostly fallen on hilltops so far, with 2cm falling in Lerwick, Shetland.
But more snow and ice is expected over the coming days, with temperatures plunging to below average levels for the time of year.
“It is going to be quite a widely cold week,” Ms Maxey said. “A few degrees below average both day and night for most of the country.”
The fresh warning for Northern Ireland comes into force from 3pm today and runs until 10am on Tuesday.
The alert takes in the likes of Newry, Belfast, Omagh, Derry and Ballycastle.
The warning in Scotland comes into force from 4pm and runs until 10am on Wednesday.
The alert covers the Highlands and Islands and the northeast of the country, including Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray.
A third warning – stretching across parts of England and Wales – comes into force at 7pm and runs until 10am on Tuesday.
East Midlands, Yorkshire, and the north of England are expected to be worst hit.
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Parts of the UK are experiencing their ‘first taste of winter’, says the Met Office. File pic: PA
‘Slight chance’ communities could be cut off
Those in the impacted areas have been told power cuts are possible and mobile phone coverage might be affected.
The Met Office has said there is a “slight chance” some rural communities could be cut off and that bus and train services may be delayed or cancelled.
People have also been warned to be careful not to slip or fall on icy surfaces.
The yellow weather warnings. Pic: Met Office
Snow ‘even down to lower levels’
Tom Morgan, Met Office meteorologist, said: “We could see some disruptive snow in the Pennine regions, in particular, the Peak District as well, especially Monday night, but we could well see some impacts lasting on until Tuesday morning’s rush hour.
“Even down to lower levels, we could well see some snow as well, so quite a bit of disruption possible by Tuesday morning, and then the week ahead is likely to stay cold nationwide, a windy day on Tuesday, and then winter showers through the week ahead.”
Mr Morgan said that despite a “mild” start to the month, the cold conditions are more typical of “mid-winter to late-winter”.
“What we can say is that it’s going to be very cold for the time of year, there will be widespread overnight frosts, and a few locations where there’s snow on the ground,” he continued.
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Changes to weather warnings ‘likely’ in coming days
In southern England, a typical maximum temperature for this time of year is 11C (52F), but daytime highs for the week ahead are forecast to be around 5C (41F), while some parts of Scotland will reach “only just above freezing”, Mr Morgan said.
Mr Morgan said the public can best prepare for the wintry weather by checking their cars are suitable for icy and potentially snowy conditions and to take extra supplies including food, blankets and a fully charged mobile phone with them on journeys.
He added there were “likely” to be changes to the weather warnings in the coming days, and that “winter flurries” could be seen in the south of England later in the week.
Despite the cold conditions, the “whole of the UK” will enjoy more sunshine this week, he said.
He added: “There’ll be some snow showers in the peripheries of the UK, particularly northern Scotland, and down the east and the west coast, but if you live inland and you live in the south, there’ll be lots of sparkly blue skies on the most days through Tuesday to Friday.”
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