Barcelona residents to receive test emergency text messages on Thursday
Civil protection will send trial message to mobiles in Catalan capital and surrounding metro area
On Thursday, September 14, 2023, all mobile phones in the Barcelona area will receive a test emergency text message as a trial for the alert system of Civil Protection.
The message will be sent to phones in the counties of Barcelonès, Vallès Occidental, Vallès Oriental, Maresme, and Baix Llobregat.
In total, around five million people will receive the test alert message.
Mobile phones in those areas will receive a text message with a loud noise and a vibration. The message will inform that "this is a trial test and there is no need to call 112 emergency number.”
"In a real emergency, you would receive instructions to protect yourself," the message will also read. Once the message is read, users must click the "Accept" button.
This tool was created with the aim of letting the population know the instructions they must follow to protect themselves in case they are in an area affected by an emergency, a severe accident, or a catastrophe.
The timetables for when the message will be sent are:
- 10 am: Vallès Oriental, Maresme, Sant Adrià de Besòs, Badalona, and Santa Coloma de Gramenet
- 11 am: Barcelona
- 12 pm: Vallès Occidental
- 1 pm: Baix Llobregat and l’Hospitalet de Llobregat