And if the disaster is an Electromagnetic Pulse?

[John]

Worried about a nuclear disaster? Get a warning sent to your mobile:
Government starts trial of text messaging system for major emergencies
New plan designed to alert people to emergencies more quickly
50,000 will receive test message in the next two months
Testing grounds include central Glasgow, Leiston, Suffolk and Easingwold, North Yorkshire
By JACK DOYLE, HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT
PUBLISHED: 17 September 2013
Daily Mail

If your neighbourhood is at risk from nuclear disaster or terrorist attack and you’re afraid you’ll be the last to know, relax.
The Government plans to warn you about major emergencies via a text message to your mobile phone.
A new alert system will steer people away from danger and tell them where to get help. It could be used to send information and warnings about a flu pandemic, flood, chemical leak, fire or a catastrophe involving a plane or train.

The first test of the technology will be carried out tomorrow in the market town of Easingwold in North Yorkshire, and at two other locations, Glasgow city centre and the Suffolk town of Leiston, over the next two months.
If successful the system – which has been drawn up by the National Security Council – will be extended to cover the whole country.
A spokesman for the NSC said it would be used in any situation where ‘we judge that by sending an alert we could prevent loss of life or damage to property’.

The Cabinet Office will use mobile phone companies to send an authorised message to all mobile phone users in a given area. Three companies, EE, Vodafone and O2, will take part in the tests.
Anyone in Easingwold tomorrow will receive four test texts that will direct them to a government website where they will be asked for feedback. It will be clearly marked as a test and point out that ‘no action is required’.
A second test will take place in Glasgow on October 3 and in Leiston on November 20. In all some 50,000 people are expected to receive a text message over the three days.

Similar systems exist in the Netherlands and the US.
Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said the tests would ‘look at how different technologies work and how the public react when they receive an emergency alert’.
He added: ‘I want to reassure the public that these tests are not linked to any threat or specific hazard in their area.
'We have included diverse areas – both rural and urban – as part of our tests, as we want to look at how effective the different systems are in different areas in using mobile phones to deliver mass messaging.

'The message itself will make clear that it is only a test and I do not want the public to be alarmed in any way.
'We are also looking for help from the public in evaluating how well the tests worked and how they felt about receiving messages in this way and we would welcome the public's views which they can provide via an online survey or a series of focus groups.
'Ensuring that local areas receive quick accurate information in the event of an emergency is crucial to an effective response and the information that we receive from these tests will help us develop systems that local emergency responders will be able to use in the future.'
Two techniques are being tested. One will see a message sent to all mobile phone masts in the area under threat. These would then pass on the message to anyone whose phone was within the mast’s range.
The other method will involve mobile phone companies drawing up a database of mobiles likely to be found in an area, and a message sent to all these phone numbers.
Officials sought to play down any civil liberty fears by insisting the Government will not have access to the databases, which are run by mobile phone operators.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...ncies.html