Emergency mobile alert test sent out to about 3 million NZ phones
Sunday, 25 November 2018
If your phone suddenly made a 'loud, penetrating sound' this evening don't panic - the second annual test of the emergency mobile alert system was being carried out.
The new emergency alert system is administered by the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management on behalf of a range of agencies.
About 3 million phones - half the total in New Zealand - are thought to be capable of receiving the alerts. So as long as they were switched on, you should have got the test alert between 6pm and 7pm on Sunday. It's not possible to opt out.
The first test was a year ago, when only about 34 per cent of devices received the test alert.
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This year's alert is set to reach more people due to a number of people upgrading their devices.
Phone owners are urged to ensure their device has the latest available operating system.
Along with the sound, phones will receive a notification. The test alerts will link to the MCDEM site, where people can do a brief survey about how they experienced the alert, with the feedback being used to improve the system.
During the past year the system has been used for some local issues, such as emergency boil water notices.
MCDEM director Sarah Stuart-Black previously told Stuff, the alert system was a vital channel for alerting people if their life, health or property were in danger.
'However, no form of technology is completely failsafe, so it doesn't replace other alerting channels such as radio or social media, or the need to act upon natural warning signs,' she said.
MCDEM said that while some devices may show optional settings that would allow users to opt out of the system, those were for use in some other countries. In New Zealand a special broadcast channel was used and it was permanently on.