‘Terrifying’ hazard to life Storm Darragh telephone alert despatched to hundreds of thousands in crimson alert space
A “terrifying” danger to life alert was sent blaring from people’s phones warning that Storm Darragh was on its way.
People living in areas covered by the Met Office red weather warning were sent the messages which saw phones light up and screech. The emergency alert system was scheduled to sound at 6.45pm on Friday evening, however there was a delay of around 15 minutes, causing some confusion among people in affected locations, reports Wales Online.
The Welsh Government said around a million people in Wales were due to receive the alert, sent out by the UK Government. Around three million people in total were expected to receive it.
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(Image: PA)
The Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan issued a statement on X, formerly Twitter, prior to the alert. She warned people to expect their phones to flash and make a loud noise until they turn the alert off.
She wrote: “Today at 6.45pm an emergency alert system will be issued. This is in the light of the Met Office red warning for wind across large parts of Wales from 3am until 11am.
“The emergency alert system will send a message to every mobile phone in the affected area. It is much louder than a normal text message, so your phone will make a loud noise and flash until you turn it off.
“The system was tested in April last year and reached phones across the UK. It is only used in areas when there is a potential threat to life, such as a red weather warning.”
(Image: Met Office)
After 6.45pm, confused people reacted on social media, saying they had not received the alert. One X user wrote: “Still waiting! No emergency alert here.” Another shared: “We’re in the red area, right in the middle and we’ve not received anything.”
Another said: “So an alert was meant to happen 15 minutes ago for those in red zone, urm think the system is broken……” Another wrote: “Maybe it needs turning on and off again because nobody appears to have them.”
(Image: Stoke Sentenial)
A further comment reads: “Eluned I’m living in a red area but mine or my wife’s received an alert. Is it because we’re actually outside the red area or is it because the alert system is not working properly?”
The alert eventually sounded at around 7pm, with people saying it startled them. One X user wrote: “Yep just got it, scared the life out of us as hadn’t seen this beforehand, scared mum with Alzheimer’s. Appreciate the warning.”
Another said: “Just had it. Absolutely terrifying.” Another said: “Got it, stay safe everyone.”
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