Free Alert Services to Sign Up for Before an Emergency

Most of the warning systems that matter in the UK need nothing from you. Emergency Alerts, the loud phone message that tells you your life may be at risk nearby, arrive automatically on compatible 4G and 5G phones in the area of risk, with no sign-up, no app and no charge¹. The government does not need your phone number, your location or any personal details to send one³.

What does need you is everything else. Flood warnings, weather warnings, local council and resilience forum messages, and the arrangements around chemical and nuclear sites all depend on you registering in advance, usually for free⁵. A household that has done that gets hours of notice instead of minutes.

This page is a printable sign-up list: what to register for, how, and what to check on your phone so that a warning actually reaches you. Work through it once, note the dates, and revisit it when you change phone or move house.

Free alert services checklist

Work through this list in order. Each item takes a few minutes, and between them they cover the warnings most likely to reach a UK household: flooding, severe weather, local incidents and the national Emergency Alerts system.

1. Check your phone can receive Emergency Alerts. Confirm it is a compatible 4G or 5G handset with the latest software update, and search your settings for "emergency alerts" to see the options¹¹. No registration is needed, but an out-of-date phone or a switched-off device will not receive one².
2. Sign up for flood warnings if you live near water. Anyone can sign up free by phoning Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or registering online, and warnings come by phone, text or email⁵. Flooding is the hazard most likely to give you a specific, address-level warning in advance.
3. Register for Met Office email alerts or install the Met Office Weather App. This is the official route to weather warnings for your area⁹.
4. Find out whether your council or Local Resilience Forum runs an alert service. Some Local Resilience Forums offer a sign-up option for news and information about emergencies in your local area¹⁰, and individual councils run their own, such as SB Alert in the Scottish Borders⁷.
5. Check whether you live near a chemical or nuclear site. Some sites have their own warning arrangements, including free automated telephone warning systems for nearby residents¹³.
6. Sign up for a groundwater or local water alarm if your area has one. Some councils offer free alarms by SMS or email where groundwater flooding is a known risk¹⁴.
7. Register your phone for emergencySMS if you cannot hear on a voice call. You must register your phone beforehand, so do it now rather than during an emergency¹⁵.
8. Ask about the Priority Services Register if anyone in the household is older, disabled or medically dependent. Your council's emergency planning information explains how to sign up¹⁶.
9. Note who nearby does not have a mobile phone. Official advice is to identify someone living nearby who can inform you of any Emergency Alerts being sent¹⁷.
10. Keep a charged phone with you and a radio in the house. A phone needs to be charged and switched on to be useful, and radio bulletins carry official information when mobile services are stretched¹⁸.

Emergency Alerts need no sign-up or app

Emergency Alerts are the one part of the system that finds you. They are sent to compatible 4G and 5G mobile phones and tablets within an area of risk when there is a danger to life, and only the government and emergency services can send them². There is no registration step, no app to install and no charge to receive them¹.

The privacy design is deliberate and worth understanding, because it explains why the system can reach everyone. The government does not need your phone number or any of your details to send you an alert²⁰. The service does not collect personal information or track your location, and no personal data is shared when an alert is sent⁴. You do not need to turn on location services to receive alerts³. Alerts are one-way: they carry instructions, not a request for information¹⁷.

That last point matters for spotting scams. The Emergency Alerts service will never send you emails or ask you to provide personal details¹, and an Emergency Alert will never request you provide bank details²¹. If a message about an emergency asks for either, it is not from the system.

You can opt out if you want to, by searching for "emergency alerts" in your phone settings and following the instructions for your device⁴. Think carefully before doing so: the alert is intended to warn you about serious nearby threats to life, and it will give you clear instructions of what to do to stay safe¹⁷. If you do not want to get any emergency alerts in the future, you will need to change your phone settings²⁰.

Keeping your phone ready to receive Emergency Alerts

An alert you never receive is no warning at all, and the reasons a phone misses one are almost always settings or hardware rather than the network. Check these before you need them.

Software and handset. Alerts are sent to compatible 4G and 5G mobile phones within an area of risk, if they have the latest software update²³. Phones released before 2015 are likely to require some changes to the settings¹⁸. If you have an earlier version of Android, you may still be able to receive alerts; to check, search your device settings for "emergency alerts"². Other phones that do not run iOS or Android may also receive alerts².

What blocks an alert. You will not receive alerts if your device is turned off, connected to a 2G or 3G network, on wifi only, or not compatible². Note that last one carefully: the alert does not need mobile data or wifi, but a phone that is connected only to wifi and has no mobile network connection will not get one². Emergency alerts work on all 4G and 5G phone networks widely used by smartphones, but will not include older non-smart phones, and the 3G technology they use is being switched off¹⁹.

Finding an alert you have acknowledged. On Android phones, the alert may be found in the Messages app or "Emergency Alert History". For iPhone users, the alert will be in your notifications, and if you delete your notifications, the alert will also be deleted¹⁸.

Flood, weather and local alerts you register for yourself

These are the services that need your details in advance, and they are where most of the practical value lies for a household near a river, the coast or a known flood risk.

Flood warnings. Anyone can sign up, for free, by phoning Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or registering online, and you can choose to be warned by phone, text or email⁵. This is the most specific warning most households can get: it is tied to your area rather than a region.

Weather. You can sign up for email alerts from the Met Office or download their Weather App to ensure you are always updated with the latest information⁹. Local council advice on storms and gales is consistent: sign up to receive alerts and information about risks in your area²⁴.

Local resilience and council services. Some Local Resilience Forums offer a sign-up option for alerts to receive news and information about emergencies in your local area¹⁰. Individual councils run their own: SB Alert in the Scottish Borders is an emergency messaging service used with key partners to provide information directly to you on weather warnings, incidents and service updates⁷. Community groups are advised to sign up to alerts and warnings covering their area, with a list of trusted sources on the government's Prepare website²⁶.

Site-specific schemes. If you live near Sellafield, you are encouraged to sign up for a free automated telephone warning system, which provides a warning in the highly unlikely event of an emergency at the site, plus updates by text, email and mobile calls during exercises¹³. Groundwater flood schemes exist in some areas: residents can sign up free to receive alarms by SMS or email, helping them stay informed and take action¹⁴.

Accessibility. If you cannot use a voice call, register for emergencySMS now: you must register your phone beforehand, and the ambulance service's advice is to register now, don't wait for an emergency¹⁵.

Alerts when there is no signal, no smartphone or no mobile at all

The Emergency Alerts system is designed so that a lack of data or a lack of signal in the ordinary sense does not stop an alert, but there are real limits.

No data or wifi is fine. Your mobile phone or tablet does not have to be connected to mobile data or wifi to get alerts². The message travels over the mobile network itself, which is why a phone with no data allowance and no wifi can still receive one.

No mobile coverage is not fine. A device connected to a 2G or 3G network, or one that is not compatible, will not receive alerts². If you are in a spot with no 4G or 5G coverage at all, the alert will not reach that handset.

No mobile phone at all. Those without a mobile will still be made aware through the news and local emergency services¹⁸. Official guidance also advises identifying someone living nearby who can inform you of any Emergency Alerts being sent¹⁷. This is worth arranging in both directions: if you have a phone, offer to be that person for a neighbour.

Driving. If an alert sounds while you are driving with nowhere safe to stop and no passenger to read it, tune into live radio and wait for bulletins until you can find somewhere safe and legal to stop¹⁷.

Older and non-smart phones. Alerts will not include older non-smart phones, and the 3G technology they use is being switched off¹⁹. If a household member relies on such a phone, plan now for how they will be told: a radio, a neighbour, or a newer handset.

Keeping your details and devices up to date

A sign-up list is only as good as its upkeep. Three things change often enough to break a warning service silently: your phone, your phone number, and your address.

Revisit the list once a year, and whenever you move house or change number. Flood warnings and local alert schemes are tied to an address or a phone number, and an old number means a warning that never arrives. When you replace a handset, repeat the phone checks above: latest software, settings searched for "emergency alerts", and a test that the phone connects to the mobile network rather than wifi only².

Keep the phone usable. A mobile phone needs to be charged and switched on all the time if it is to be relied on, and an emergency number can be programmed into it²⁷. Keep a phone or alert device nearby in case you need help²⁸. If you use a community alarm or personal alarm, check with your provider how it behaves during a power cut or after the digital landline switchover, and see our guide to telecare and personal alarms when phone lines go digital.

Make the paper copy. Write the list out and keep it with your household's emergency information: the services you have joined, the Floodline number, and who nearby will knock on your door if an alert goes out. Our emergency and non-emergency numbers checklist has a printable version, and Emergency Apps to Download covers the apps worth having alongside these services.

Where to get help signing up. If you are unsure which services cover your address, your council's emergency planning team can tell you, and their pages explain how to sign up for the Priority Services Register if anyone in the household needs extra help¹⁶. Charities and community groups can also help: community resilience guidance advises groups to sign up to alerts and warnings covering their area²⁶. For the wider picture of how warnings reach a household, see Where to Get Official Warnings and News in an Emergency, and for the national system in detail, Emergency Alerts: How the UK Phone Warning System Works.