Queensland launches emergency alert texts

Police are urging Gold Coast residents to think twice before they block this number. Find out why.

Queensland Police Service launched an emergency alert text system on Wednesday, January 29. Picture: contributed.

The next time a severe weather event threatens Queensland, mobile phones in the affected region should unanimously ping with a warning and advice from emergency services.

“Queensland is the most disaster ravaged state in Australia,” Gold Coast Chief Superintendent Craig Hanlon said on Wednesday.

“We should be better prepared, we don’t want people to be complacent on the Gold Coast.”

Chief Superintendent Craig Hanlon. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Superintendent Hanlon said that in emergencies residents would get a text from the number [phone]. He urged residents to heed the warnings and advice distributed from that number.

“This is a geographical text where people in a certain area will get a text about weather,” Superintendent Hanlon said.

“If you’re in that geographical area, you’ll get a text from that and it’ll provide you information about weather alerts.

“What we’re asking people is you may want to put that number into your phone’s favourites, so when it comes up, you know it’s from the Bureau of Meteorology and you won’t just ignore it.

“These will give information to people in an area where we believe that there is significant weather either coming or there will be an impact of weather, and it’s about giving our community opportunity to prepare for that.”

The initiative comes following controversy over the lack of warning for a devastating Christmas night storm on the Gold Coast 13 months ago.

Following the tempest, Mayor Tom Tate criticised the Bureau of Meteorology for the lack of warning given to residents.

Originally published as Queensland launches emergency alert texts