BE-Alert: what is it and how do you sign up?

A flood, epidemic or attack: unfortunately, such disasters are no longer far-fetched scenarios and could suddenly affect us. But what we’ve also learnt is that acting quickly and correctly can save lives in such an emergency. BE-Alert, the Belgian government’s alert system, can help keep us safe.

What is BE-Alert?

A mayor, governor or the Minister of the Interior can use BE-Alert to quickly notify citizens in the event of an emergency. In practice, a message (e-mail, text message or voice call) tells you what happened and what you can do to get yourself to safety.

Which emergency situations does this include? Belgium’s National Crisis Centre categorises the risks into natural, technological, health and security risks.

What is the use of BE-Alert?

In an emergency situation, there is a lot of news circulating, especially online. But what is useful and what is rather incidental? Is the information up to date? And is it real or fake news? With BE-Alert, you can be 100% sure that the information is correct, up to date, and reliable. You will also be notified very quickly, which can save lives in an emergency.

With BE-Alert, you can be 100% sure that the information is current, correct, and reliable.

How does BE-Alert work?

Anyone registered on BE-Alert will receive a message. In situations of great urgency, you’ll get a text message or a voice call. If you have to close your windows and doors in the event of a fire, for example. If it’s less urgent, BE-Alert will notify you by e-mail. Like in the case of a major storm or band of thunderstorms forecast to cross Belgium the next day.

In the event of a major emergency, the government can also send you a text message based on your location at that time, whether you are registered on BE-Alert or not. For this purpose, government services work together with telecom operators to compile a list of all mobile phone numbers present in the danger zone.

Which information does BE-Alert give you?

• The text or voice message you receive will contain information about:
• what exactly happened,
• what you need to do to stay safe,
• what the government is doing for your safety,
• how the situation is evolving.

How do you sign up to BE-Alert?

You can do it by filling in this form on the BE-Alert website. Your data will only be used to notify you via BE-Alert, never for other purposes.