During another test of Estonia’s nationwide EE-ALARM alert system, SMS messages reached one million mobile phone users in 17 minutes. This was 10 minutes faster than during the previous test, when message delivery took 27 minutes, ERR News reports.
Warning sirens sounded across the country on Wednesday from 15:00 to 15:10, while emergency alerts were sent to phones. Viktor Saaremets, deputy director general of the Estonian Rescue Board, said the test set a record for SMS delivery speed.
The Rescue Board also plans to introduce a faster emergency information system that is intended to enable messages to be sent to all phones within a few seconds.
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Shelter drills were held in Tallinn, Tartu and Haapsalu. During the 15-minute drill in Tallinn’s Rotermann Quarter, most participants reached the designated shelter in an underground car park within five minutes.
At the same time, Anu Vaikjärv, a shelter adviser at the Northern Rescue Centre, noted that many residents still do not know the meaning of the sirens and that additional information campaigns are needed. Drill participants also spoke about a lack of conditions for sheltering at home, including due to the absence of basements in residential buildings.
According to Sergo Kohala, a crisis preparedness specialist at Tallinn Municipal Police, one possible solution is to equip shelters in existing buildings and basements, as well as install modular shelters in cities. From July 2027, the law will require apartment associations managing buildings with an area of more than 1,200 square metres to develop a shelter plan and adapt an appropriate space for this purpose by 2028.
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