BE-Alert sent 314,500 messages for its first major national test

The emergency alert platform BE-Alert delivered 314,500 voice messages, SMS and e-mails for its first large-scale national test, the FPS Interior Crisis Center reported on its website on Thursday. The aim was to evaluate the system so that it could be improved.

Of the 403 Belgian cities and towns that adopted the system, 145 sent a test message via SMS (200,000 messages), mail (108,000) or voice mail (6,500) to all or some of their registered citizens. In parallel, the Crisis Center was in charge of contacting by SMS all the people, registered or not in the system, present in some test zones in Blankenberge, Kruibeke, Liège, Bastogne and Houffalize.

SMS could accuse a delay at the peak of delivery because of the number of citizens alerted. In the coming weeks, the Crisis Center and its partners will evaluate the measures to be taken to improve the platform's efficiency.

One year after its launch, the system affects 70% of the 589 cities and municipalities in Belgium . More than 343,000 addresses are listed in BE-Alert. Authorities call citizens who are not yet registered on the platform to register to make the alert " more effective in emergency ."