We all remember the first time our phone started beeping uncontrollably. Ever since it made its way into our pockets back in 2023, the emergency alert system has become the unmistakable soundtrack to major storms (and sometimes to the not-so-major ones, too). However, that high-pitched, alarming buzz—designed to keep us safe in extreme situations—feels excessive when it’s just a precautionary alert for events expected in the coming hours. For this reason, Civil Protection is about to roll out a new, much more user-friendly alert design for preventive messages, with the first pilot test set to take place before the end of the year in a very limited area of La Garrotxa.
The goal of this update to the ES-Alert system is to clearly distinguish between imminent emergencies and pre-alerts. While reactive alerts will continue to sound the same to prompt specific and immediate action, precautionary alerts will feature this new tone. During the drill in the Girona region, the ease of sending and receiving alerts will be tested, as well as the proper integration of the new sound with the various configuration options on cell phones—a step that requires prior adaptation by mobile carriers, repeater antennas, and the device manufacturers themselves.
More than 100 alerts so far this year
As the system has become more established, its use has diversified. So far in 2026, Civil Protection has sent a total of 124 mass alerts. The vast majority were triggered by fire and water: 63% were issued due to wildfires and 30.6% due to episodes of heavy rain. The remaining alerts were distributed among strong winds, snowstorms, and toxic spills.
With experience, many of these alerts have taken on a purely preventive nature, for example, warning of heavy rainfall expected the following day and advising people to limit their travel well in advance.
A Customized Alert
The creation of these Level 2 alerts will not only be a relief to our ears thanks to a softer alarm, but it will also give users greater control. The updated system will allow each person to customize their phone settings for these pre-alerts. This way, we can decide whether we want to receive them with the new muted sound, whether we prefer them to arrive completely silently, or even whether we want to disable them entirely.
Despite these advances, current alert technology has an Achilles’ heel: we are completely dependent on our carrier’s coverage and the power supply to the cell towers. Unlike calls to 112, which work on any available network, the mass alert system requires active antennas. This vulnerability was exposed during the power outage on April 28 of last year, an incident that prevented messages from being sent to the affected population.
To overcome these limitations, the first steps toward a permanent solution are already being taken. Looking further ahead, work is underway on a system based on satellite coverage. This technology would function much like the GPS we all have on our cell phones, ensuring that information always reaches us from the sky, without relying on power outlets or local antennas.
