Successful test of emergency texts and emails
Successful test of emergency texts and emails
Thousands of Bay of Plenty residents
received a civil defence text message earlier today.
The successful testing of the region’s text, email and social media alerting was designed to ensure that the system would work in a real emergency.
An alert was sent out by text to around 6,000 individual cell phones and more than 10,000 emails, as well as featuring in Bay of Plenty Civil Defence’s social media pages on Facebook and Twitter.
Regional Manager of Bay of Plenty Civil Defence Emergency Management Clinton Naude said the thousands who had already signed up for text or email alerts received the message. Regular tests ensure the systems would work in a real emergency.
“We tested the text and email alert system last year, however the system encountered some IT issues. We have since worked with our providers to address the problems,” he said.
Mr Naude said the systems would be checked twice a year. Anyone can sign up for a text alert or email notification in an emergency on the Bay of Plenty CDEM website www.bopcivildefence.govt.nz
People can also subscribe to receive texts for their local area and regional events by texting two letters to 2028.
Tauranga – text
‘TA’
Western Bay – text ‘WB’
Rotorua –
text ‘RO’
Kawerau – text ‘KA’
Whakatane –
text ‘WH’
Opotiki – text ‘OP’
If you sign up
to any of these local areas by text, you will automatically
also receive messages about regional emergencies. A sign-up
text costs 20c, but there is no charge for all future texts
from Bay of Plenty Civil Defence
Group.
Ends