News item | 07-06-2022 | 10:00
On Monday, June 13, 2022, another NL-Alert test message will be broadcast. Many people find that important, according to new research1 commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and Security. People aged 75 and older especially like the fact that the government sends an NL-Alert test message every six months. 9 out of 10 people in that age group who received an NL-Alert test message in the past year indicate that they find the test message important. Thanks to the test message, two-thirds recognize an NL-Alert in a real emergency.
Almost three quarters of the over-75s receive the NL-Alert test message directly on their mobile phone.2 This means that the reach of NL-Alert is also large among this group. But it can be even better. People over 75 have their mobile phone switched off more often than other age groups. In order to encourage people aged 75 and older to charge and switch on their mobile phone, the government launched the NL-Alert campaign ‘Load it and leave it on’ in May.
Would you like to receive NL-Alert yourself? Charge it up and leave it on
To receive NL-Alert, your mobile phone must be charged and switched on. An NL-Alert is only broadcast for an hour during emergency situations. The message will not arrive if you switch your mobile phone back on at a later time. If your mobile phone is switched off for an entire hour, you will miss the NL-Alert.
You do not need to set anything to receive NL-Alert on your mobile phone. Moreover, NL-Alert is free and anonymous, your telephone number remains unknown. With an NL-Alert on your mobile, your phone will emit a loud and piercing alarm sound. The sound is different from a normal message. The sound makes it immediately clear that this is an emergency situation. Please note, if you wear headphones or have earplugs in it can sound loud. Do you receive an NL-Alert? Read the message immediately, take action and inform others.
Recognize NL-Alert with test message
On the first Mondays in June and December, the government sends an NL-Alert test message around 12:00. Based on the test message, you can recognize the NL-Alert even if there is a real emergency. Because the first Monday in June is a public holiday, the government will send the NL-Alert test message on Monday 13 June.
The importance of NL-Alert
NL-Alert is the government’s emergency tool that warns and informs about emergency situations. Think of a large fire, smoke cloud with toxic substances or a terrorist attack. An NL-Alert explains what is going on, what you should do and where you can find more information and updates.
For more information, go to www.nl-alert.nl†
1 Research conducted by PanelWizard from 25 to 29 April 2022 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and Security. More than 2000 Dutch people (16+) took part who received an NL-Alert emergency report and/or test message in the past year.
2 Research of December 7 and 8, 2021 conducted by DVJ Insights on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and Security. 2,629 Dutch (12+) took part in the survey.