Emergency warning on Sunday

The WI will probably be devastated by our absence.

I am in the group that appreciates this type of warning system. There are many different types of emergencies, some of which have been described (factory fires, missing children in an area, etc.) besides nuclear attack. Personally, I'll be at my local pub where they are having St. George's Day festivities and we're all looking forward to our phones going off in unison!

Definitely won't be switching mine off, if there's an emergency I want to know about it. Does make me wonder though ,why, after all these years when other countries have had a warning system, the govt has decided we need one too?

Galaxy

I am not objecting to the system I am just not going to have it switched on.
I dont object to the existence of the WI but I dont go.

Ditto

Random question prompted by Volver’s 3am comment: will any future alerts sound if a phone has its ‘do not disturb’ on? (I know I could Google, I’m just wondering anyone here knows already and can save me bothering ).

Here's hoping we don't go through the trauma of Hawaiians back in 2018. False alarm went out. Imminent missile attack. The citizens petrified and distressed. Took 40 minutes to sort it out.

www.nytimes.com/2018/01/13/us/hawaii-missile.html

Raises a very interesting point though. Just what are we supposed to do if we get an alert about an active missile en route to the UK? Residents of Hawaii were huddled in baths, Running towards tunnels. Chaos.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11995739/This-not-drill-emergency-alert-terrified-entire-nation.html

I think ignorance can indeed be bliss

Siope

Random question prompted by Volver’s 3am comment: will any future alerts sound if a phone has its ‘do not disturb’ on? (I know I could Google, I’m just wondering anyone here knows already and can save me bothering ).

Hi "Siope" I think you have to turn off emergencey calls in your settings to be sure you'll not receive the alarmdepends on your phone you need to go setting tap sounstapthen you arrive at top wireless emergencies and its gone

Have turned mine off, although it will be in the locker at work so won't really make any difference.

The thing I am questioning as app it won't silence until you have pressed something.

Difficult for elderly or like my dad 88 with parkinsons, throwing him into a panic, although I have told him about it, but couldn't find where to turn it off on hsi Doro phone.

I am sure with the nature of social media, any warnings we will get to know of pretty quick.

"his"

Thanks Louella. I’m not bothered about turning it off, just curious. My emergency contacts/favourites have to call me twice to override the ‘do not disturb’, so vaguely interested to see if the alerts can go one better (or worse).

I think it will probably sound even though your phone is on "do not disturb" because its not coming at you over the phone system, its a radio frequency message.

Don't quote me though.

Ggl "turn off emergency alerts" and your phone make.

Very straightforward on an iphone and a whole list of other makes come up in that search.

So is the UK planning on declaring war again ? Just a sudden unpleasant thought. If they declare a sudden census - start panicking.

Thanks, Volver. I live in the most boring place ever, so unless there are alerts for ‘a stranger walked through the park’, or ‘three anglers quite put out by the sailing club’, I’ll probably never find out.

We get them in the US for floods and tornados. They also sound if there has been an abduction giving the details of the child, abductor and often car if they were driven away. It’s a good idea. Never saved our lives necessarily but it’s warned us in advance of what to expect. Particularly once when there was flooding and a tornado. I got the fright of my life as I was driving but I immediately drove safely home which was potentially life saving as many people were trapped in cars with rising water and there were a few drownings. At least I got home before the rain began. Our basement flooded and the weather was the most severe I have ever experienced personally

Louella12

What on earth would we do if we get a warning of an imminent attack? Unlikely we'll be experiencing deadly bush fires or earthquakes of any great magnitude. I just can't see the point. And we're always questioning the cost of things. How much has this set us back?

Mine is switched off and will start that way.

If that were to happen, it is to be hoped that the authorities had
handed out guidelines in advance, as they used to do.

If not: charge your phone, put batteries into a transistor radio, so you can use it to hear warnings if all digital systems are wiped out.

Fill a couple of bottles with drinking water for the eventuality of main services being knocked out.

If you like, fill a grab bag with clean underwear, a warm sweater, a rug, your passport or other ID and your bank cards and cash.

Make sure you have the dog lead to hand, or the cat carrier so you can get yourself and your pets out of the house speedily if that should become necessary.

You will in advance have made sure you have fire extinguishers on each floor of your home, and a first aid kit to hand.

All these precautions used to be printed in the back of the Telephone Directory, at least in this country, and I presume the UK had a similar system.

Do people have fire extinguishers in their home? I dont know anyone who does. Am I in some sort of extreme risk taking group.

I don't have a fire extinguisher either Galaxy

You and me, we're just thrill seekers living on the edge.

I have one in the kitchen. Just in case. Not a socking great one that you’d have in an office. Your cooking is probably a lot better than mine Galaxy. 😁

I took quite stupendous risks when I was young , I thought I had lost my edge so this is good news.

I bet it isnt GSM, I have this view of you as quite efficient in most things. It's funny the ideas we get about people

I hate to disillusion you, but …😱

I believe the point of the emergency warning is that it will go out to all phones within contact of specified masts. If, for instance, there was a major fire in the middle of Bristol and the emergency services needed to close roads, clear the area and stop people coming there they could send out an alert to everyone within reach of the local masts to keep people away. So no one in London or Dundee is going to get the alert. I don't know how it all got involved with a future war. The alert system was planned some years ago, even tested in some areas, but got put on the back burner for some reason - maybe there were issues with it, or Covid got in the way.

P.S. I don't have a fire extinguisher either. Or a fire blanket. Though I think I should have as I nearly burnt the kitchen down when I left the hob on with a wooden spatula over it, and started a fire on the mantelpiece years ago with a candle and Christmas decorations.

If madman Putin decides to press the nuclear button, I'll be pleased to get the alarm - I'll at least have a few minutes to gather my household together and text a final goodbye to my nearest and dearest