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Original poster

Has anyone ever had an emergency alert

34 replies

Clutchpearlsandgasp · 05/12/2023 22:19

Aside from the tester one that we all had, has anyone ever had another and what was it for? I live in an area that has had some quite severe weather (newsworthy at one point), loss of life due to conditions. We also had a local missing person situation that hit the headlines but I didn't get an alert for either.

OP posts:
Natsku · 05/12/2023 22:22

Yeah, for a toxic gas cloud from a factory problem. I was at the pub at the time, the power cut out and then the emergency alert went and the radio told us to stay inside and close all windows and vents. The pub served drinks for cash only as obviously the tills weren't working, and we had to take a candle to the loo. I was in the middle of a poker tournament and we had to carry on by candlelight.
It was a very weird night but fun. After a couple of hours the power came back on and we could leave the building again.

MadeOfAllWork · 05/12/2023 22:26

I thought about that the other day. So many people getting all worked up about it and now it’s forgotten about.

EarlofShrewsbury · 05/12/2023 22:27

I was in Norway when they tested theirs, so I got one for that 😁

Dinnerlady12 · 05/12/2023 22:32

I didn't even get the test one!

HollywoodTease · 05/12/2023 22:34

Yes but not in the UK.

Went on a cruise out of Orlando in May this year. We had been in our pre-cruise hotel for approx 30 minutes when there was a hurricane alert.

We had to stay indoors and away from the windows for about an hour until we got the all clear!

isittimetoflounceyet · 05/12/2023 22:36

Dinnerlady12 · 05/12/2023 22:32

I didn't even get the test one!

Me neither.

DPotter · 05/12/2023 22:37

Got a couple last year in USA, California because of the forest fires. Really wasn't expecting to get alerts in any country other than my own, but both DP and I got them.

BIWI · 05/12/2023 22:39

Yes, in Kefalonia, in 2020, when they had a Medicane - a Mediterranean hurricane. Storm lasted for 2 days and we were without electricity, phone/internet and (briefly) water.

DelightfulDoris · 05/12/2023 22:40

My mum had one in Greece this year, Rhodes. As they were so close to fires

TodaysFishIsTroutALaCreme · 05/12/2023 22:41

My DSis got one in hawaii about a ballistic missile about to hit. She shat herself, said her goodbyes and then found out it was a false alarm. What a way to end a holiday

Pixiedust1234 · 05/12/2023 22:41

I didn't get the test one along with thousands of others, so bought a new phone in anticipation of another test. Nope nothing, zilch, nada. I feel cheated.

EDIT - our city flooded after the river burst its banks and cut off all the main roads through the city for several days. That would have been a perfect time for a local one.

whocaresmore · 05/12/2023 22:43

Quite a few during the fires in Rhodes in July.

Musicaltheatremum · 05/12/2023 22:45

Yes several in Skiathos in September. Major floods. Had about 4

TheNoodlesIncident · 05/12/2023 22:46

We got one in Crete this year, just after an earthquake. We were on a beach and I noticed the shaking and looked at the lady on the lounger nearest mine, we shared a WTF? look. Not many people seemed to notice, but we all noticed the emergency alert about 20 minutes later.

The warning was advising us to avoid ravines and gorges due to possible rockfalls, which was awkward as our way back to our apartment was through a gorge. Fortunately although we could see some rocks had bounced down onto the road, nothing was damaged.

BotterMon · 05/12/2023 22:47

Yep in Iceland quite a few due to recent events

Pinkpinkpink15 · 05/12/2023 22:51

MadeOfAllWork · 05/12/2023 22:26

I thought about that the other day. So many people getting all worked up about it and now it’s forgotten about.

@MadeOfAllWork

its not 'forgotten about'

there was a list of what would trigger it. You can look it up. They said that hopefully most of us wouldn't get an alarm in our lifetime, let alone this short amount of time,

Diversion · 05/12/2023 22:54

Got the emergency alert in the UK the test one but no others. I am signed up to the Red Cross "Alert" app which alerts you to various things, weather warnings, flood warnings, civil unrest etc. You can monitor places and set alerts for people who you care about in those places so you receive an alert via your phone. I quite like it although I am sure that other people would not install.

MadeOfAllWork · 05/12/2023 22:54

Pinkpinkpink15 · 05/12/2023 22:51

@MadeOfAllWork

its not 'forgotten about'

there was a list of what would trigger it. You can look it up. They said that hopefully most of us wouldn't get an alarm in our lifetime, let alone this short amount of time,

Show quote history

I’d say that most of the general public have forgotten about it.

autumnboys · 05/12/2023 22:55

In Romania, in 2019, in the middle of the night, to warn that there was a bear roaming the streets of the town I was in.

Pinkpinkpink15 · 05/12/2023 22:59

MadeOfAllWork · 05/12/2023 22:54

I’d say that most of the general public have forgotten about it.

Show quote history

@MadeOfAllWork

the general public - yeah, probably, but what does that matter?

it's those with the responsibility of setting it off that matter.

but given how many didn't get it & they didn't retest it after the issues were supposedly fixed, i can't say I have any faith in it. Especially given how few things they'd been authorised to set it off for 🤦🏻‍♀️

Pozz · 05/12/2023 23:01

TodaysFishIsTroutALaCreme · 05/12/2023 22:41

My DSis got one in hawaii about a ballistic missile about to hit. She shat herself, said her goodbyes and then found out it was a false alarm. What a way to end a holiday

Bloody hell a false alarm! Shock

Tomasinabombadil · 05/12/2023 23:05

Never received the test one or any others.

MadeOfAllWork · 05/12/2023 23:22

Pinkpinkpink15 · 05/12/2023 22:59

@MadeOfAllWork

the general public - yeah, probably, but what does that matter?

it's those with the responsibility of setting it off that matter.

but given how many didn't get it & they didn't retest it after the issues were supposedly fixed, i can't say I have any faith in it. Especially given how few things they'd been authorised to set it off for 🤦🏻‍♀️

Show quote history

What I mean is that in the run up to the test there were so many threads like ‘I’m going to be driving down the M6 when the test goes off, will we all crash?’ I doubt that most people even remembered it happening now.

Sostu · 05/12/2023 23:23

This is interesting.

At the time I remember people being berated for turning off alerts because they might miss out on knowing when kiddies had gone missing and therefore be lacking in community spirit.

However I've not had a single alert before or since and plenty of kiddies have gone missing during that time.

So, what's the actual purpose?

TodaysFishIsTroutALaCreme · 06/12/2023 07:04

Pozz · 05/12/2023 23:01

Bloody hell a false alarm! Shock

Show quote history

Yup. Apparently someone in the office who deals with alerts pressed the wrong button and selected a real alert instead of a test alert

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