ES-Alert test message “a success”

Thousands of Lanzarote islanders jumped out of their skin yesterday as their mobile phones emitted an unfamiliar piercing, squawking alarm sound at around 10 am.

The startled islanders included Gazette Life staff who had notified readers about the ES-Alert test message last week, but still jumped like frightened rabbits when the alarm sounded.  

The alarm was emitted by the Emergency and Security Co-ordination Centre of the Canarian Government, as a way to inform the populace of potential threats to public safety.

Authorities have described the test as a success, reaching many more phones than a similar exercise did in Fuerteventura recently. Manuel Miranda, a Canarian Government minister, said “People are now aware that there is a powerful tool to broadcast alerts and advice.”