New cell phone alert system

“AT-Alert” armed after stormy test

The first "AT alerts" went out on September 15, when a storm swept across large parts of Styria (picture: Münzgrabenstraße in Graz).

(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

The new "AT-Alert" disaster warning system has been put through its paces since September 9th. Six days later, when Styria was hit by storms, rain and snow, hundreds of thousands of cell phones had already been activated. At the weekend, the tried and tested civil defense test alarm was officially activated.

It was a stroke of good fortune that the test operation was to become an emergency just a few days after the start. In Styria, the capricious weather in the second week of September escalated until the criteria for the new cell phone alarm were met on September 15: Heavy rain in parts of Upper Styria and record storm values on the Schöckl caused alarm bells to ring for the authorities.

The country's first "AT Alerts" were issued in stages from midday on Sunday, with different levels of urgency. At 11.47 a.m., the first alert was issued at the highest level in the form of a civil defense alert in Thörl, followed three hours later by level 2 storm warnings for the districts of Graz, Graz-Umgebung, Voitsberg, Weiz and Hartberg-Fürstenfeld. In the evening, flood warnings were issued along the Mürz and in Mariazell. In total, around 600,000 cell phones were contacted in Styria, explains Günter Hohenberger from the provincial warning center.

The fire departments had their hands full during the extreme weather events in mid-September, as here in Hartberg.

(Bild: PRESSEDIENST BFVHB)

Test turned serious
The original plan was to test individual municipalities during the trial period. The mayors were informed in advance, confirms Heribert Uhl from the Civil Protection Association. The test was unnecessary and the system was able to warm up with an open heart, so to speak. Several more alerts were to follow, including in the neighboring provinces of Lower Austria and Burgenland, until the dramatic weather situation had eased.

Civil defense: "Impromptu premiere"
"It was an impromptu premiere from cold to very hot," says Uhl, looking back on the "tough test phase". There should have been enough preparation time, as the underlying EU directive should have been implemented two years ago. Now, however, the state warning center, where all the threads come together, "reacted relatively quickly and very cleverly" when the stormy autumn weather with heavy rain and fresh snow brewed into a dangerous mix.

In some places, the emergency services were taken by surprise or not sufficiently involved. Overall, however, Heinz Reinbacher from the fire department control center sees the system in a positive light, "because we get information that also contains concrete content out to the masses". The fire department also emphasizes the advantage of being able to proceed in a geographically targeted manner by controlling all cell phones in a certain area.

The button that triggers the new cell phone alarm is pressed here in the regional warning center.

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Coordination problems resolved
Despite the generally successful test run, the experts still see a need for adjustments: In the event of an emergency, for example, all relevant information should be bundled at the regional control center, regardless of where a warning is issued, says Reinbacher. After all, it is primarily his institution that people turn to with their questions in the event of an emergency. The cell phone alarm itself is a matter for the authorities, i.e. the state warning center as a service provider for the disaster control authority. However, Reinbacher is convinced that the test phase was used to improve coordination and that the problems will be "solved by the weekend".

High time, because the system will be armed on Saturday. The traditional civil defense test alert, which is carried out every first Saturday in October, is also being used this year to test the "AT-Alert" throughout the country, the trial period of which ends on this date. At 12 noon, the following message will appear on cell phones dialed in throughout Austria: "Attention test - Austria-wide test activation of civil protection signals via sirens and test activation of AT-Alert". This is accompanied by an acoustic warning tone.

"Do not alarm to death"
In addition to the annual test alert, those responsible promise to use the new instrument with caution. "You also have to be careful not to alarm the general public to death," Reinbacher points out. The dramatic storm situation surrounding the first "sharp" alert on September 15 caused severe damage in Styria, but no deaths or injuries. According to the control center, it is not yet possible to say whether this was also due to the "AT Alert". They hope to have reliable findings in one to two years' time.

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If a severe weather event reaches a certain level of danger, for example, the alert is triggered. This can be the case with certain wind conditions, amounts of snow or rain. The responsible regional warning center and the meteorological service Geosphere Austria give the green light, and a dispatcher from the regional warning center usually presses the "button" after approval from the management level.

Depending on the problem, there are ready-made text modules that are sent to all cell phones that are logged on in a certain area. "Cell Broadcast" is the name of the underlying technology. The advantage: no app needs to be installed and no registration is required. The system guarantees complete anonymity; no personal data is used.

Heribert Uhl appeals to personal responsibility. Check your notification settings!

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Screenshot, Zivilschutz Stmk, Stock Adobe)

The highest level "emergency alarm" is activated everywhere
However, depending on the type and age of your cell phone, it may be necessary to update the operating system and check the reception and notification settings. Only warnings of the highest urgency level ("emergency alert") are actually sent to all phones regardless of this and cannot be deactivated.

Heribert Uhl from the Civil Protection Association also speaks of the population being responsible for collecting the warnings. In contrast to siren alerts, the text warnings contain specific information and tips on what to do, but it is the responsibility of each individual to keep up to date via the media.