SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — At noon Friday, 80 million cellphones in Mexico will receive an emergency alert simultaneously.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the disaster drill Wednesday morning during her daily news conference.
Laura Velázquez Alzúa, Mexico’s civil protection coordinator, is calling it “the most important event programmed this year to fortify our civil protection culture.”
Depending on what part of country people are in, the emergency drill will warn of an earthquake, fire, tsunami or hurricane.
“On September 19, for the first time, we will have a test on a national scale sending a message to all cellphones in Mexico,” Velázquez Alzúa said.
She stated the emergency call will also be broadcast over 100 AM and FM stations nationwide as well as 11 television networks.
Texts will be sent out and there is no need to download an app to receive the emergency messages.
“Those will go over factory-set technology that is already configured into phones,” Sheinbaum said. “Cellphones are very important due to their level of penetration, the number of people who have cellphones is extremely high throughout the country, even in rural areas.”
Most states bordering the Pacific Ocean as well as states in central Mexico will get an earthquake alert.
A hurricane warning will be sent to people in states such as Campeche, Yucatán, Quintana Roo and Baja California Sur.
Other states including Durango, Guanajuato and Tamaulipas will get forest fire warnings while Baja Californians will receive word of a hypothetical tsunami.
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