Queenslanders are being urged to update their phone settings to ‘favourite’ the Emergency Alert (EA) phone number, to stay informed during an emergency or disaster.
Emergency Alert is the national telephone-based warning system used to send voice messages to landlines and text messages to mobile phones to warn people of emergencies. This includes dangerous weather with potentially severe impacts.
An Emergency Alert is just one way for authorities to warn communities of a dangerous situation in the area and only issued when necessary.
They are not issued for every circumstance but the message will include important, potentially life-saving directions which require you to take action to stay safe.
You do not need to register to receive an Emergency Alert from the system which is sent from caller ID number: +61 444 444 444.
Messages from +61 444 444 444 are not a scam, they are official phone warnings as part of a national geo-targeting emergency alert system.
Residents are being asked to check the number is not blocked on their device and to add it to their ‘favourites’, so they don’t miss the alerts.
If you follow these steps, even if your phone is set to ‘do not disturb’ you will still receive the alert, no matter what time of the day or night it is issued.
Visit the Disaster Management website for the latest Emergency Alert details and for local area information on Local Government disaster dashboards.