The Government of the Canary Islands has resumed testing of the population alert system in case of emergency, ES-Alert. The first exercise of this year will be carried out in Fuerteventura, but it could also be received in the Yaiza municipality of Conejero.
So far, the General Directorate of Emergencies of the Government of the Canary Islands has verified the operation of this system on the island of El Hierro and in the urban centers of Garachico, in Tenerife, and Valleseco, in Gran Canaria.
Throughout 2024, it is planned to continue testing - in addition to this first test, in Fuerteventura - on the islands of La Palma, Lanzarote, La Gomera, El Hierro and new trials in different areas of Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
This tool of the National Civil Protection System is already operational in the Canary Islands and was used in the forest fires of La Palma and Tenerife last year. However, in order to achieve optimal operation of this tool and for the population to continue to familiarize themselves with the system, the Government of the Canary Islands will continue to conduct tests periodically in different parts of the Archipelago.
The test to be carried out on February 9, through mobile phone networks, is organized by the Government of the Canary Islands, through the General Directorate of Emergencies and 1-1-2 Canarias, in collaboration with the Cabildo of Fuerteventura and the municipalities of La Oliva, Puerto del Rosario, Betancuria, Antigua, Tuineje and Pájara.
The exercise is expected to affect the entire island and could even reach the municipal district of Yaiza, in the south of Lanzarote.
The message will be issued between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., so the population of Fuerteventura may receive it at the time of sending or when entering the coverage area of their telephone operator.
It is a single message, so it will only be received once, and in the event that this occurs while driving, the Government of the Canary Islands recommends not to be alarmed and as soon as possible, stop the vehicle in a safe place to read the message and once read, press accept.
Es-Alert allows to issue alerts in case of catastrophes or emergencies such as fires, floods, volcanic eruptions, adverse weather phenomena or chemical accidents, among others, without the need to install any application, and transfer to the population affected by the emergency instructions for their protection.
This is a complementary warning channel to the usual channels such as sending evacuation bulletins, the media, social networks or public address systems.
These tests are published and disseminated in advance so that the population is aware of them and alarm situations are avoided.
All 4G and 5G mobile terminals that are within the coverage area will receive a text message with the word TEST with a beep and vibration that, once read and after pressing the word Accept, will disappear. Do not reply or call 1-1-2, but citizen collaboration is requested to complete the survey that they will receive in the same message.
All information about the ES-Alert system is available on the 1-1-2 Canarias website, with a questionnaire of questions and answers to solve the most frequent doubts and the test calendar.
