Emergency Alerts: How Warnings Reach You and What to Do

Emergency Alerts and Warnings

A warning only helps if it reaches you and you know what it means. Most countries now use three channels at the same time: alerts sent to every mobile phone in an area, sirens, and public radio and television. Take ten minutes to check that all three work for your household.

For the signals, numbers and test dates of a specific country, see Emergency preparedness in Europe by country.

1. Mobile alerts

Most European countries, the United States and many others can send an alert to every phone in a danger area. The phone makes a loud sound, even on silent, and shows a short message.
These alerts do not use your phone number and you do not sign up. The phone must be switched on, connected to a mobile network and reasonably up to date.
Names differ by country: Nødvarsel in Norway, ES-Alert in Spain, FR-Alert in France, NL-Alert in the Netherlands, Emergency Alerts in the United Kingdom, Wireless Emergency Alerts in the United States.
Check your phone settings and make sure emergency alerts are turned on. Do not disable them because of a test.
When you travel, your phone receives the alerts of the country you are in.

When an alert arrives

Stop and read all of it. It tells you what is happening, where, and what to do.
Do what it says first. Look for more information second.
Do not call the emergency number to ask about the alert. Keep the lines free.
Tell people nearby who may not have received it: older neighbours, children, people without a phone.

2. Sirens

In many countries, the general signal means: go indoors, close windows and doors, and look for official information on public radio.
In Norway, the signal "Important message, seek information" is three series of siren sound with pauses between them. Sirens are tested at 12:00 on the second Wednesday of January and of June. See Norway.
In Sweden, four different signals are used, tested four times a year. See Sweden.
In Finland, the general alarm is a one-minute rising and falling tone, tested on the first Monday of each month. See Finland.
Learn the signals used where you live, and when they are tested, so that you recognise a real one.

3. Radio and official channels

Keep a battery, crank or solar radio. When power and mobile networks fail, public radio is the channel that keeps working.
Write down the frequency or DAB channel of your national public broadcaster.
Save the official websites and accounts of your civil protection authority, police, weather service and municipality.
Many municipalities also send SMS or app notifications. Register your address if yours does.

4. Warnings from nature

Sometimes there is no time for an official alert. A strong earthquake at the coast, the smell of smoke, rising water or a rumbling slope are warnings too. See Tsunamis, Floods and Landslides.

5. False alarms and rumours

Official alerts come through the system, not as forwarded messages or screenshots.
If in doubt, check public radio or the authority's own website. See Disinformation in a crisis.