Accelerating the use of mobile phone capabilities to maximise the effectiveness of public emergency alerts in South Africa

An emergency alert system (EAS) enables government authorities, its agencies, and community authorities at various levels to use communication platforms to inform people in threatened areas of imminent disaster. Disseminating emergency alerts to the public is crucial to ensure effective and efficient disaster management. The purpose of disseminating emergency alerts is to provide important and life-saving information to the public so they can take the necessary actions to ensure their safety. EAS uses various communication channels to disseminate alerts and warnings, including TV and radio, sirens and long-range acoustic devices, message signage and public address systems, the Internet, fixed phones, and mobile phones through cell broadcast services (CBS), SMS and mobile apps. The United Nations launched the Early Warning for All initiative that promotes the use of geo-located mobile-based early warning services, such as CBS and location-based SMS (LB SMS), to disseminate emergency alerts to all by 2027. The accessibility of mobile phones has accelerated the use of mobile phone capabilities to disseminate emergency alerts. In South Africa, using CBS and LB SMS capabilities to disseminate emergency information to targeted geographical areas by authorities is still an area of improvement. The study aims to accelerate the adoption and use of cell broadcast and location-based SMS to maximize the effectiveness of public emergency alerts in South Africa. The study forms a basis to accelerate the adoption and use of CBS and LB SMS to disseminate public emergency alerts. Partial results show emergency alert message crafting and appropriate communication approaches are vital in influencing the public to comply with the alert. In addition, South Africa had implemented some components of emergency alert systems, but in isolation and focusing on specific types of emergency alerts.