No need to panic: National NL Alert warning system tested at noon today
The Dutch government's semi-annual test of the NL-Alert emergency warning system took place at noon today. All phones connected to the Dutch mobile network should receive a sample message when such tests take place, possibly accompanied by a loud, piercing sound with a rapid vibration. The message will be clearly labeled as a test.
The government tests its mobile alert system twice a year, typically at noon on the first Monday of both June and December. NL-Alert is used to alert people of emergencies or threats when the individual's device is located in the affected area. The system has also been used in the past to send an alert when emergency services offices are unreachable or unavailable.
Anyone not receiving the NL-Alert message at noon may find their phone to be in airplane mode, that it was not connected to telecom signal, or that it was connected to a German or Belgian cellphone tower at the moment of the test.
Apple iPhone users can check their settings to see whether their phone is set to receive these alerts. For Android users, this should automatically be the case.
The NL-Alert may become the Netherlands’ only emergency alert system after 2028. Minister David van Weel of Justice and Security informed parliament last month that he could not find money in the budget to replace the outdated air raid siren system, and the contract operating the current system will lapse in 2028.
According to Van Weel, the NL-Alert reaches 92 percent of the Netherlands, and potentially more when people alert each other to alarm messages. He acknowledged that this poses problems for people who do not have a phone, and could be an intensifying issue should mobile networks fail.
A majority in Parliament have insisted that the air raid siren be replaced with an alternate redundant system, if the air raid sirens are no longer maintained. Van Weel said he would work on that, and has yet to inform Parliament of a new plan.
