The Emergency Alert System will be used to notify the public in the event of serious and emergency incidents that involve a threat to life and health. An emergency alert contains information about what is happening and what you need to do to protect yourself.
The Emergency Alert System is a service provided by the Norwegian authorities. The police and Civil Defence determine which areas are to be notified and send out the actual notification.
The following will happen when you receive an emergency warning:
- Your phone will vibrate and play a loud siren-like sound.
- Your screen will display a short text message informing you what is happening and what you should do. If your phone supports text-to-speech you can have the message read out loud.
When you receive an emergency alert, you must stop what you are doing, read or listen to the warning and follow the advice given.
When will an emergency alert be given?
The Emergency Alert System can be used to notify of serious and emergency incidents.These may be incidents of radioactive emissions, serious terror attacks or other accidents and catastrophic situations, where the public must be warned quickly.
An emergency alert can be national, regional, or local.
The system must also be tested occasionally. You can find planned dates for testing at: www.emergencyalert.no.
See also: Which incidents will you be warned about?
Public warnings and information
The Emergency Alert System on mobile telephones is a supplement to the channels that are already used to notify the public. In Norway, for some time we have had public warnings given via sirens, which signal with a loud sound that you must seek information.
In the event of a serious incident, important information will be broadcast across several channels, for example, radio, TV, online newspapers, public authority web pages and social media.