NL-Alert tested at noon; 9 in 10 Netherlands residents received test message
The authorities tested the NL-Alert, the Netherlands’ national warning system, at noon on Monday. The piercing notification popped up on all mobile phones connected in the Netherlands. According to the authorities, about 90 percent of Netherlands residents aged 12 or older received the test message.
The warning system, generally used to warn people in a wider area of an emergency like a dangerous storm or large fire, is tested twice a year - on the first Mondays in June and December. Anyone with their phone turned on and connected to a mobile network in the Netherlands should receive the alert.
If you didn’t receive the test message, it might be because your phone was turned off, in airplane mode, or an older model connected to older mobile networks. In the past, people in border areas connected to Belgian or German cell towers have also missed the message.
Anyone with an Apple iPhone can ensure their phones are configured by navigating to Settings, then Notifications, and checking if "Emergency Notifications" are enabled. Android users can activate notifications of "Extreme Alerts" by navigating to Settings, then Emergency Alerts.
According to the government, studies showed that 49 percent of Netherlands residents 12 or older follow the advice in an NL-Alert, and 70 percent inform others if they receive an alert for an emergency.
