The national civil protection exercise "Messina Strait Earthquake 2022" is currently taking place in Calabria and Sicily.

The simulation involves a magnitude 6.0 earthquake with epicenter in the province of Reggio Calabria that could trigger a tsunami affecting some coastal municipalities in the provinces of Reggio Calabria and Messina.

One of the objectives of the exercise was to test the IT-alert public warning system, which is currently undergoing an experimental phase.

Citizens in the areas of Calabria and Sicily that would potentially be affected by the tsunami received an IT-alert message, with a dedicated ringtone and the following text:

Civil Protection EXERCISE -  TEST
message for a possible TSUNAMI triggered by an earthquake
with epicenter in Reggio Calabria.
Information on the exercise available at www.it-alert.it

At the end of the exercise, a second message will signal the end of the exercise.

WHAT YOU CAN DO.

1)    PREPARE
To prepare yourself and know what to do in case of a real event in which you may receive an IT-alert message, stay informed about the risks in the area where you live, work or travel and learn the self-protection measures.

The website iononrischio.it provides factsheets on what to do and what to know before, during, or immediately after a flood, tsunami, earthquake, or volcanic event.

In case of a tsunami warning, if you are at the beach or in a coastal area Move away from the water and quickly reach the nearest elevated area, such as a hill, following the quickest escape route without using your car, which could become a trap.
If you are at sea you should move offshore, and if you are in a port you should secure yourself in an high place.

If you received the test message of the “Messina Strait Earthquake" exercise, you can simulate the route to follow to reach the safest location.

2) HELP US IMPLEMENT IT-ALERT
IT-alert is a new public alert system with the aim of reaching citizens and delivering messages in case of imminent or ongoing major emergencies or catastrophic events. 

The IT-alert message, send to all people in the area affected by the emergency or disaster event provides information about the risk scenario and relevant self-protection measures to adopt. 

The IT-alert system is currently undergoing an experimental phase. Exercises such as "Messina Strait Earthquake" are crucial in terms of feedback that will help verify what has been built, and to improve and implement the system with the aim of soon making it fully operational.

If you received the IT-alert message of the "Messina Strait Earthquake" exercise, please fill out this questionnaire:  to verify the effectiveness of the alert system and message comprehensibility. This will help us to improve and better face future events.