IT-alert: testing of scenarios of major accident at industrial facilities and large dam collapse on December 19 and 20
Regions involved are Apulia, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy and Sardinia
The IT-alert experimentation continues after the technology tests concluded last October 13 involving all Italian Regions and Provinces.
According to the February 7, 2023 Directive, the system can become operational and be used for various risk types if the experimentation is successfully completed.
On December 19 and 20, tests will be conducted in part of the territories of five regions on two specific risks: the collapse of a large dam and a major accident at industrial facilities subject to the Seveso Directive. The activity has a two-fold purpose: to test the use of IT-alerts on small and limited portions of the territory and to take a step forward in the process of familiarization with the national public warning system and allow people to gain more confidence in receiving the message for specific risk scenarios, with text tailored to the risk and the affected site.
December 19 will be focused on the simulation of a major accident at an industrial facility, and the text of the notification that the affected population will receive reads as follows:
TEST TEST This is a TEST MESSAGE from IT-alert. We are SIMULATING an industrial accident in the area where you are. To learn what message you will receive in case of real danger from an industrial accident, go to www.it-alert.gov.it/en TEST TEST
December 20 will be focused on the simulation of a large dam collapse, and the text of the notification that the affected population will receive reads as follows:
TEST TEST This is a TEST MESSAGE from IT-alert. We are SIMULATING a dam collapse in the area where you are. To learn what message you will receive in case of real danger from a dam collapse, go to www.it-alert.gov.it/en TEST TEST
On the IT-alert website, from the homepage, there will be access to a dedicated page where it will be possible to view the text of the message that citizens would receive in case of real danger for that specific risk and the case-specific information.
As in the previous tests, on the homepage there will also be a link to the survey that the people in the involved territories will be invited to fill out to help implement the system. Those in the area covered by the test that will not receive any IT-alert notification will still be able to fill it out to report this deficiency. In addition, the tests will be helpful to improve the functionality further and verify the efficiency of emergency communication flows between relevant individuals.
In particular, during the two days, around noon, the test message will arrive on the switched-on and connected cell phones of those in the target areas, identified as below:
December 19, 12 p.m. - Major accident at industrial facilities subject to the Seveso Directive, in the territory within a radius of 2 km from the facility:
• Apulia Region - LyondellBasell Facility, Brindisi
• Veneto Region - FIS - Fabbrica Italiana Sintetici S.p.A., Montecchio Maggiore (VI)
December 20, 12 p.m. - Collapse of large dams
• Emilia-Romagna Region - Conca Dam (Municipalities affected: Misano Adriatico, San Giovanni in Marignano and Cattolica)
• Lombardy Region - Pagnona Dam (Municipalities affected: Premana, Pagnona, Casargo, Sueglio, Valvarrone, Bellano, Dervio)
• Sardinia Region - Nuraghe Arrubiu Dam (Municipalities affected: Orroli, Escalaplano, Goni, Silius, Siurgus Donigala, Ballao, Armungia, Villasalto, San Vito, Villaputzu, Muravera)
Test dates may be subject to change if regional civil protection systems are involved in activities for any ongoing meteo-hydro alerts or emergencies.
Major accident means an event such as a significant emission, fire, or explosion due to uncontrolled developments occurring during the operation of an industrial facility classified as a major-accident hazard by Legislative Decree No. 105 of June 26, 2015 - Implementation of Directive 2012/18/UE of the European Parliament and of the Council on the control of major accident hazards involving dangerous substances, and which results in an immediate or delayed major hazard for human health and the environment, either inside or outside the facility, and in which one or more hazardous substances are involved.
Each industrial facility must have an External emergency plan (EEP) containing damage mitigation measures outside the facility and an Internal Emergency Plan (IEP), including damage mitigation measures inside the facility.
IT-alert would be activated for possible accident scenarios affecting the facility.
In case of real danger from a major accident at an industrial facility, cell phone users in the areas near the affected facilities will receive such an IT-alert message:
Civil Protection Alert DD/MM/YY at 00:00 - Accident at the XYZ industrial facility involving hazardous substances in the Municipality of XYZ (PROVINCE). FIND INDOOR SHELTER AND DO NOT GO NEAR the facility (E04). Keep up to date and follow the instructions of the authorities.
However, there may be devices present in areas affected by the emergency that will not receive the message. This is caused by one of the limits of cell-broadcast technology: the impossibility of perfectly overlaying the area potentially affected by the emergency with the area covered by the antennas of the telephone operators used to send the messages.
"Collapse of a large dam" refers to the collapse of the dam structure itself or the occurrence of damages to the dam or landslides that lead to the uncontrolled release of water, such as to reasonably assume the occurrence of a catastrophic event, which generally causes a flood wave and the subsequent flooding of downstream areas. Large dams are regulated by the Directive of the President of the Council of Ministers of July 8, 2014, on "Operational guidelines concerning civil protection activities within basins where large dams are present."
When a risk related to the structural strength of a large dam occurs, it is referred to as "dam risk," which entails four alert phases (pre-alert, reinforced alert, danger, and collapse).
Each dam is required to have a Civil Protection Document (DP), which defines the specific conditions for the activation of the civil protection system, communications, and technical-administrative procedures to be implemented in case of risk, and a Dam Emergency Plan (DEP), which outlines the areas potentially affected by the flood wave, operational strategies, and the intervention model to face the emergency.
IT-alert would be activated in case of collapse of a large dam, that is, a retaining structure exceeding 15 meters in height or resulting in a reservoir volume exceeding 1,000,000 cubic meters.
In case of real danger from a large dam collapse, cell phones in the municipalities potentially affected by the flood wave will receive such an IT-alert message:
Civil Protection Alert DD/MM/YY at 00:00 - XYZ DAM COLLAPSE in the Municipality of XYZ (PROVINCE): possible flash flood. STAY AWAY FROM WATERCOURSES and reach high areas. Keep up to date and follow the instructions of the authorities.
However, there may be devices present in areas affected by the emergency that will not receive the message. This is caused by one of the limits of cell-broadcast technology: the impossibility of perfectly overlaying the area potentially affected by the emergency with the area covered by the antennas of the telephone operators used to send the messages.