March 3, 2022
Last Saturday afternoon (February 26), the South Burnett Regional Council issued an Emergency Alert which was sent to mobile phones and landlines around the region.
The alert provoked some discussion on social media, with some people querying why they had received it, others wondering why they hadn’t, and others saying they had received alerts from two or more different councils.
A South Burnett Regional Council spokesperson explained the Alert system on Thursday.
“On Saturday afternoon South Burnett Regional Council issued an Emergency Alert via the State Disaster Co-ordination Centre,” the spokesperson said.
“This Emergency Alert function is used by Local Disaster Management Groups to provide residents and travellers with advice on emergency situations.”
The spokesperson directed people to a State Government webpage which provides more information:
Emergency Alert. Be Warned. Be Informed
Emergency Alert is the national telephone-based emergency warning system that sends messages:
- Via landlines based on the location of the handset,
- Via mobile phones based on an individual’s billing address, and
- For Telstra mobile account holders based on the device’s location.
If you receive an Emergency Alert and want more information, follow the instructions in the message. You do not need to register for this service.
This explains why some people may have received alerts from the South Burnett Regional Council as well as other councils, ie. based on their physical location at the time.
“Please when you receive these messages, don’t panic, stay calm and follow the advice given,” the Council spokesperson said.
“If you have any further questions about this, please do not hesitate to contact the Disaster Management Team on (07) 4189-9100.”
External links:
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Footnote: Just for the record, this is the alert which was despatched by the State Disaster Co-ordination Centre on Saturday:
An Emergency Alert has been issued from South Burnet (sic) Regional Council. Council advises heavy rainfall and flash flooding is expected in the region this evening and overnight. Residents are urged to remain at home and stay off the roads until storms have passed. If it is unsafe, residents are advised to move to higher ground. Stay up-to-date with the latest information from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). For flood assistance, contact the SES on 132 500. For further information listen to ABC radio or visit: dashboard.southburnett.qld.gov.au. If life threatening situation call triple 000
