Emergency warning on Sunday

I think it’s a good idea too, though as we have no reception here we won’t benefit until that improves. In last summer’s heat field fires destroyed several homes in a nearby village. Fortunately we’re not in a flood risk area but so many are, and climate change means we are going to see more of these incidents caused by extremes of weather. Forewarned is forearmed.

//When it is fully operational, the alert system will be used by the Government and emergency services to make people aware to issues like severe flooding, fires and extreme weather events.

The Government has said that it could eventually be used to sound the alarm for terror attacks, nuclear threats and dangerous criminals on the loose.

Officials also noted “car bombs” and “civil nuclear incidents” as examples of crises which could trigger the alerts in future.//
- The Independent, 21 April 2023
apple.news/A8V5zFiGJTE-uCcNooWnFKw

I think it's a good idea.

Nanny State again! My phone will be off!

nanna8

Absolutely Aggie, they travel so fast you can’t drive away from them when they have a hold. Plus they attack trees which fall down and block your escape routes. I have never seen such devastation as when my daughter lost her house, the whole area was razed to the ground, even the snakes and kangaroos were burnt to a crisp.

They were dreadful; I was over there when fires were near us. We had a bag packed ready to flee, could see the fires but the farmers had been out carrying out controlled burning and with their bowsers so they didn't reach us thank goodness.

Your daughter's experience was terrible.

I have a part of me that doesnt like being told what to do. I actually think of it as one of my better characteristics.

Friends of ours in Turkey have been receiving actual alerts on their phones just this morning following a small earthquake. They are very useful in the event of things like earthquakes, floods, tornadoes and so on.

Yes , the alarm at night could save a few /many lives

It might happen at night though Aggie.

Absolutely Aggie, they travel so fast you can’t drive away from them when they have a hold. Plus they attack trees which fall down and block your escape routes. I have never seen such devastation as when my daughter lost her house, the whole area was razed to the ground, even the snakes and kangaroos were burnt to a crisp.

I think a raging fire heading for my house would be seen out of the window when it would be too late to escape !

but I haven't noticed that type of unpleasant comments from those in favour of the emergency alerts.

Those of us who don't want to be part of the test have been told that we think we're so clever that we should be running the civil defence forces, that we're part of the group who just doesn't like being told what to do, and that we'd appreciate it if it was about our grandchildren.

Live and let live, eh?

Milest0ne

Wildfire within sight of our house. I would want to know about in the future

Can't you just look out of the window?

Wildfire within sight of our house. I would want to know about in the future

Last summer's grass and crop fires that spead quickly to, and destroyed, peoples homes worried me, as we live in a small village entirely surrounded by such farmland. Any warning that something like that had broken out nearby would be very welcome as far as I am concerned.

On a lighter note, I doubt very much if my OH has registered the fact that we will get the alert this afternoon. We will be in a big family group when it happens. Am I being mean not to warn him, and in actually looking forward to seeing his reaction when all our phones start blaring?

Galaxy

That has happened the other way round marydoll as well people have been a bit rude about those who arent participating.

Galaxy, as Bluebelle has said, no need for sneering comments. That is unnecessary.
However, I may be wrong, but I haven't noticed that type of unpleasant comments from those in favour of the emergency alerts. I'm sure you will be able to direct me to them.

Regardless of what the thread is, there will always be those, who resort to unpleasantness to state their case, rather than reasoned argument.
It's just a mirror of real life.

the mobile phone that is

I rarely have my phone on.
I could live without it.

That has happened the other way round marydoll as well people have been a bit rude about those who arent participating.

If you are not interested, or think it is a load of nonsense, that's your business.

However, what I fail to understand, is why some posters are rude cannot respect the views of those, who see it as a sensible idea.
I am neither angry, nor following like a sheep..

Louella why so sneering, we have had bad floods in my area we used to have a town flood siren (same thing) but with all the noise of traffic, life, car sirens and shop alarms going off any time of day and night, how much easier and direct to have a sound followed by a message come through on your phone

What is your argument against it, of course it’s nothing to do with your sarcastic ‘bush fires or earthquake’ sentence but we do have disasters in this country too or perhaps you didn’t realise that
I wonder if it would help if there was a raging madman (or woman or gender neutral person) in the area shooting indiscriminately We ve had that havent we?
I wonder if lives could be saved with big fires…. we have them too
Floods ….small villages are being eroded away
What about a warning of car pile ups I can think of so many every day disasters that are nothing to do with bush fires earthquakes avalanches or nuclear war
Why so anti ?

That gumph from Full Fact doesn't concern me at all. I doubt it a main reason why people aren't interested either. I don't think this is any ridiculous conspiracy theory. I am not interested in it because it's pointless. In my opinion.

But for those who look forward to being warned of a bush fire, extreme temperatures, (drink water, stay in shade), earthquake, (hide in a bath) all well and good. It doesn't affect my life at all.

However if there is a missile heading towards us I would rather not know. I would be unable to do much about it, after all.

As Ilovecheese says - I do hope that all those people with secret phones who are trying to escape an abusive relationship have switched their alarms off!

Misty

Here's info re switching the alert off - from Women's Aid.

www.womensaid.org.uk/uk-emergency-alerts/

volver3, others are angry when we make our own personal decisions - how very dare we? We're not all sheep.

I found the old 'What to do in a nuclear attack' public information films hysterically funny. Hide under the stairs? Yeah, right!

They gave instructions to reassure people, to give them something to do (apart from panic) - however utterly useless and pointless it was.

The 2005 7/7 London bombings are uppermost in my mind when I think of the usefulness of such an alarm system.

DS2 had just started his first job and phoned to say that there were power cuts on the Tube and everyone had to get off - I'd heard some mention of this on the news, about many lines being suspended. He was walking along The Strand and said he could see a bus with Liverpool St as the destination so we was going to try and get on that, and we ended the conversation.

Right then a newsflash came on that a bus had blown-up so it was obvious that this was all a terrorist attack. I immediately tried to phone to tell him to get off the bus but by then the whole system was down. I had a long wait until he finally got to work where he phoned me.

As long as such alerts are used appropriately and sparingly I think we should make use of the available technology, and not be affronted by the very thought.