Alertswiss alerts now also on the MeteoSwiss application
The agreement between the Federal Offices of Civil Protection and Meteorology and Climatology will extend the dissemination of news beyond the 750,000 users today
From now on, Alertswiss will also disseminate its alert messages via the new version of the MeteoSwiss App.
This will make it possible to quickly reach many more people directly on their smartphones in the event of an event.
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Alerts can be disseminated by cantonal police forces and the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).
In such a situation, it is essential that the authorities can quickly reach the entire threatened population. In most cases, sirens are activated.
Information and instructions on how to behave are disseminated by radio and via the Alertswiss website and app.
Extended alert coverage for the benefit of all
The collaboration between the Federal Office of Civil Protection (FOCP) and the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss) will allow to extend the alarm coverage. From now on, alert messages will also appear in the MeteoSwiss App.
Subscribers to the app will receive a notification for alarms concerning their municipality of residence or the areas saved in their favourites, provided that they have activated the location. Via the notification they can directly access the complete message on the Alertswiss website.
An alarm message is usually only issued a few times a year and in very limited areas. For example, the inhabitants of a threatened neighbourhood are asked to close their doors and windows immediately in the event of a fire that releases toxic fumes.
Increased coverage thanks to multi-channel strategy
The MeteoSwiss App is one of the most widely used in Switzerland and has been downloaded around 20 million times so far. The Alertswiss App, which has already been operational since October 2018, currently reaches almost 750,000 users.
In order to reach as large a segment of the population as possible, the FOP is pursuing a multi-channel strategy for disseminating Alertswiss messages. The main channels are the Alertswiss website and app and Twitter.
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The cantons also have the option of spreading Alertswiss’ messages directly via their Twitter channels.
“Information and Alert only on Alertswiss
The “Information” and “Alert” level messages are not disseminated via the MeteoSwiss App, but continue to be broadcast by the cantons and federal offices exclusively via the Alertswiss App and website in the case of less severe and less urgent events.
The new version of the MeteoSwiss App, which enables the receipt of Alertswiss alerts, and the Alertswiss App are both available in the App Store and on Google Play.
