Emergency Text Alerts.

[sapelesam]

Whilst living in New York I was signed up for emergency texts. This included civil emergencies, ie. The World Trade Centre attacks, missing children etc. Is there anything similar in the UK.

[Mamyalynne]

The Government did start some trials but they seem to have run out of steam for now.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobile-alerting-trials-for-public-emergencies/public-emergency-alerts-mobile-alerting-trials


Maybe check with your Mobile Provider if they have a system inbuilt somewhere.

[sapelesam]

Thanks Mamyalynne, just read the article, seems daft that it seems to have been forgotten.

[Mamyalynne]

It does yes, it makes sense to alert people if possible.

Who knows maybe there is a system someone else knows about.

[bednobs]

i get flood alerts

[Old_Geezer]

It looks to me as if you have no need to sign up. It'd just be blatted to every mobile in the area when they want to panic folk.

[Zacs-Master]

'It does yes, it makes sense to alert people if possible.'

I don't believe it does. With social media, panic would ensue and lead to civil unrest very quickly. The Daily Mail / Express only have to report snowfall and their readers descend on supermarkets like locusts.

[Mamyalynne]

If there is a proper emergency which requires action it does make sense.

I should have been clearer in my response.

[Zacs-Master]

I'm still not sure it does. The temptation for the person receiving the text would be for them to alert their loved ones which would quickly go viral in today's social media savvy world. Panic would very quickly ensue.

[sapelesam]

Most of the alerts in NY were missing kids and vulnerable people, snow storms coming in (they get proper snowfall) and I once got an alert about a wanted man, thought to be in Tribeca. I could see people around reading these messages and they didn't make anybody panic.