Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Economy and Society, “Prasert Chanthararuangthong,” confirmed the initiation of a disaster warning system via SMS, categorized into 5 levels of severity. This system will link all relevant agencies and is expected to fully operate by the second quarter of 2025.
On September 24, during a government meeting, Prasert discussed the new SMS disaster alert system, which was discussed with various agencies including the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, the National Water Resources Office, the Meteorological Department, and mobile network providers. The goal is to prepare and inform the public ahead of potential disasters.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation will send the warning messages based on the integrated data from the relevant agencies. For example, the Meteorological Department will handle weather-related warnings, while the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will address landslide concerns.
Prasert emphasized the importance of having multiple channels for alerting the public. Besides SMS, there will also be announcements through radio and television broadcasts to ensure widespread notification. Due to the upcoming storm, readiness for flood and wind-related disasters is necessary.
The disaster warning system will enable alerts for sudden natural events, such as flash floods. The information will be relayed to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and subsequently conveyed to mobile network operators, ensuring timely alerts are sent out to the public. The notifications will outline the current situation and the appropriate actions to take, categorized into 5 levels to avoid causing panic among the population.
As for the planned Cell Broadcast Service system, which will send alerts for all disaster scenarios, Prasert indicated this is set to complete by the second quarter of 2025, with the first quarter dedicated to system testing and data analysis. This service will ensure that even without having specific phone numbers, alerts can be sent to all devices in the affected disaster area.
This article was rewritten from a Thairath’s news article.
