Does the UK Have an Emergency Alert System? An Introduction

The UK has lower natural hazard risks than other countries, such as Japan and the US. This country is most vulnerable to floods, heatwaves, high winds, and other hydrometeorological disasters. Moreover, it has low risks of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Does the UK have an emergency alert system? 

Despite the low vulnerability to geological disasters, the United Kingdom has an excellent emergency alert system as a part of its disaster mitigation. In the last few years, this country has developed the following excellent system.

Does the UK Have an Emergency Alert System? What is It?

The EAS (Emergency Alert System) is the United Kingdom’s warning system. It is a wireless alert system that will send cell broadcast messages during or before a natural or man-made disaster occurs. In other words, those alerts will warn people during major incidents.

• History of the UK’s EAS

March 2023 was a crucial month for the EAS because the UK government launched it that month. For a developed country, this date may seem a little late because others already have similar systems several years before that. 

This nation essentially used an emergency warning system during wartime. The government built this system to alert people and government agencies before a catastrophic attack, such as a severe bombing. 

However, the UK emergency alert system was no longer used in 1992. In 2013, the United Kingdom started to develop an emergency warning system utilizing cell broadcasts. However, the development of this system stopped for several years. 

Meanwhile, the government utilized SMS broadcasts to inform people about lockdown rules and vaccination during the pandemic. From that period, the government started trials on cell-broadcast alerts again and launched the system in 2023.

• How the EAS Works

UK emergency alert system has various components, such as mobile phone masts. These masts can broadcast alerts within a particular radius. Therefore, during an emergency, they will broadcast alerts to mobile phones in their ranges. 

Mobile phone users do not need to subscribe to this system or pay fees to get those alerts. Moreover, they don’t need to have any internet connection or data connection to receive warning messages.

However, mobile phones within a radius of the mobile phone masts may not get these alerts if they are turned off, Wi-Fi only, in airplane mode, or connected to a 3G network. In addition, the EAS is only compatible with iPhones with iOS 14.5 or above and Android phones with Android 11 or above.

• Content of the Alerts

Does the UK have an emergency alert system? What are the alerts about? The content of the warning can be about extreme weather, heat waves, severe flooding, or other emergencies. Moreover, it contains the following details.

1. Issuer: The issuer of the warning message is written at the top of the message. It is typically written the UK government. However, the issuer of the alert may be the emergency services or government agencies.

2. Event Description: The body of the message describes the emergency in detail, such as the time and the possible effect of the disaster.

3. Suggestion: The government will suggest some actions to help recipients of the alert stay safe during the emergency.

• Examples of Use

The UK government did not use the EAS until about a year after the launch. However, a month after the launch, the government broadcasted a UK emergency alert test. The test aims to ensure the system works on intended devices and networks.

Since the launch date, the government has disseminated three alerts.

1. Alert on Unexploded WW II Bomb: On 23 February 2023, people in Plymouth, Devon, received a warning. The alert warned them about an unexploded WW II bomb found in the backyard of a house in Keyhan. This alert advised those within a 300 m radius to evacuate.

2. Alert on Storm Daragh: The government disseminated an alert to people in Wales and South England on 6 December 2024. Over 3 million people received this alert. It warned them about the danger of Storm Daragh, which was approaching the UK.

3. Alert on Storm Eowyn: Another alert about a storm was received by people in the central belt of Scotland and Northern Ireland on 23 January 2025. It was a red alert concerning the Storm Eowyn. A report said that around 4.5 million people got this alert.

Does the UK have an emergency alert system? Yes, this country has a nationwide wireless alert system called the EAS. The UK developed this system because it allows them to broadcast warnings to mobile phone users without an internet connection and network services. Other countries can create a similar system if they have cell broadcasters from smsbroadcaster.com.