what to do when the alarm notification arrives – Dire Agency

ROME – Thursday 21 September at 12, all mobile phones in the Lazio area – and therefore also in Rome- they will receive a message accompanied by a unique and recognizable sound. It’s about the first test of IT-Alert, the new national alert system promoted by the Civil Protection Department Thatafter the testing phase, will be able to promptly inform the population in the event of imminent or ongoing serious emergencies.

The warning system will be activated in the event of a tsunami, dam collapse, volcanic activity, nuclear accidents, accidents in chemical plants and in the event of intense rainfall and hydrogeological instability. But what we receive this year will only be a test. So, let’s mark the date on the calendar and avoid unnecessary scares.

HERE IS THE SOUND THAT WILL WARN US OF AN EXTREME EVENT IN PROGRESS

All turned-on mobile phones in the Lazio Region will simultaneously receive a test message accompanied by a distinctive sound, different from that of the notifications we are used to.

WHAT NEED TO BE DONE?

Whoever receives the message will not have to do anything except read the text. Once the message has been received, the invitation for everyone is to connect to the it-alert.it website www.it-alert.it and answer the questionnaire: the users’ responses, in fact, will allow the Civil Protection Department to improve the tool. The system is one-way (from the telephone operator to the device) and does not allow receiving any type of return data or feedback from the cell phones reached. This means that no personal data of the person receiving the message is processed in any way by the Department of Civil Protection and by the relevant telephone operator.

WILL THE MESSAGE REACH ALL MOBILE PHONES?

Any mobile device connected to the networks of telephone operators can receive the IT-Alert even without registration or application. The service is anonymous and free for users. Through cell-broadcast technology, IT-Alert messages can be sent to a group of geographically close telephone cells, delimiting an area that corresponds as closely as possible to that affected by the emergency. However, a message addressed to an area can also reach users who are outside the area itself or in areas without coverage it may happen that the message is not delivered. The ability to receive messages depends on the device and the version of the operating system installed on the mobile phone: the tests are used to verify any critical issues to optimize the system.

The devices do not receive IT-alert messages if they are turned off or without reception and may not ring if the ringtone is silenced.

Although it is not necessary to download any App to receive IT-alert messages, in some cases it may be necessary to previously check the device configuration such as if a back up has been restored or if you are using an old version of the system operating.

THE TEST CALENDAR IN THE REGIONS

By the end of 2023, tests will be carried out in the other Regions and in the Autonomous Provinces of Bolzano and Trento according to the following calendar:

• September 12th in Campania, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Marche
• September 14th in Piedmont, Puglia and Umbria
• September 19th in Basilicata, Lombardy and Molise
• 21 September in Lazio, Valle d’Aosta and Veneto
• September 26th in Abruzzo and in the Autonomous Province of Trento
• September 27 in Liguria
• October 13th in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano

The objective of the test is to raise awareness of IT-alert as a new public warning system which, in the event of serious emergencies and imminent disasters, could reach the affected territories. At this stage we do not go into detail about the risks and behaviors to follow.