Weather alerts alarm residents; Officials call it a test

Bageshwar: The state experienced brief panic on Friday as thousands of residents received sudden mobile phone alerts warning of adverse weather, officials said. The alerts, sent around 10:30am and again between 2pm and 3pm, warned of rain, snowfall and thunderstorms over the next 24 hours in Bageshwar, Champawat, Pithoragarh, Dehradun, Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag districts.Residents described sudden, simultaneous phone alarms in markets, offices, and temples, causing momentary confusion. "I was in the market when suddenly over 100 phones started beeping together. For a moment, no one understood what was happening," said Bageshwar resident Ashok Lohani.Disaster management officials urged calm, clarifying that the alerts were part of a test of an advanced early warning system being rolled out in the state. Bageshwar district disaster management officer Shikha Suyal explained, "These messages are sent through the Cell Broadcasting System, which ensures alerts reach all mobile phones via 4G and 5G networks instantly."Unlike regular SMS alerts, the system is designed to override silent settings and immediately capture attention through loud beeps and vibrations, officials said. Meanwhile, Suraj Singh, a resident of Almora, said the alert went off while he was driving. "Authorities should inform people before such tests," he said.State Disaster Management Authority, in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority, has initiated statewide testing to strengthen preparedness against natural disasters. Authorities said the exercise aims to assess the speed, reach and reliability of alerts during emergencies with testing continuing over the next week across different regions and telecom networks.