Over 200 municipalities will send a test message on Thursday via BE-Alert, the government's alert system, the National Crisis Centre announced. Most of the Belgian population will receive a text message, e-mail or phone call.
The government is able to keep citizens informed during an emergency using BE-Alert. The Crisis Centre has conducted large-scale tests every year since it was first introduced in 2017, each time on the first Thursday of October. This year, 214 municipalities across the country are participating.
BE-Alert messages can be sent out in a number of ways: participating municipalities alert their residents with a text message, e-mail or voice call. Only residents who have pre-registered will be contacted, however.
This time, 11 municipalities and a large part of the Namur province are sending out a test message based on location. However, even those who are not registered but happen to pass the right transmitter mast can expect a message. In addition to Namur, the municipalities of Nivelles, Peer, Diksmuide, Asse, Büllingen, Mouscron, Essen, Limbourg, Tellin and Aalter are also sending out a message.
Home Affairs Minister Annelies Verlinden is pleased that so many municipalities are participating in the national test day. "They are not only testing the system, but also their own operation in crisis, allowing them to send out an alert message even faster when every second counts."
Currently, more than 1.1 million citizens are registered and 91% of Belgian municipalities are connected to the BE-Alert network.
