THE government is considering updating public messaging methods following recent major incidents.
In the wake of recent emergencies, such as the Grands Vaux flooding and the Haut du Mont explosion, the government said that ‘consideration is being given to the improvement of public warning and informing methods to specific risk areas’.
This comes after the UK government announced this week that a new public warning system would be tested on smartphones at the end of April. The new system allows the government and emergency services to send urgent messages warning the public of life-threatening situations such as floods or wildfires, with phone users having to acknowledge the alert before they can use other features on their devices.
The Island’s government confirmed that UK public emergency alerts ‘do not currently extend to Jersey’.
It added: ‘The Emergency Planning team within Government of Jersey continues to use various channels of communication methods to alert Islanders in the event of an emergency. This includes a blend of traditional and digital forms of communication to ensure messages are reaching as many Island communities as possible, and that our response remains resilient.’
The government used text messages during the pandemic to notify Islanders about important announcements and stay-at-home orders. In a statement, the government said: ‘The team continue to consider and review new forms of public warning and informing methods, particularly digital options as the digital landscape continues to rapidly evolve.’
