Singapore to implement emergency broadcast system to alert public via phones by early 2026

SINGAPORE: An emergency alert system will be gradually rolled out in Singapore by early next year to notify the public of emergencies directly via their mobile phones.

Called the Cell Broadcast System, it will enable authorities to quickly alert the public in the affected area of an incident and relay emergency messages to their phones, Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong announced on Wednesday (Aug 20).

Speaking at the ASEAN Strategic Policy Dialogue on Disaster Management, Mr Tong said the messages will provide the public with clear guidance on protective measures to take.

“In emergencies, prompt and timely communication with the public is critical,” he added.

Mr Tong noted that the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is working with local telecommunications companies to progressively implement the system by early 2026.

SCDF currently has its public warning system, which is a network of sirens placed at strategic points throughout Singapore and serves to warn the public of imminent threats that could endanger lives and property. 

Such threats include air, land and sea attacks, as well as natural and man-made disasters.

The public warning system also utilises the SGSecure mobile app to alert the public during emergencies.

In addition, SCDF has an app called myResponder, which alerts members of the public to nearby fire and medical cases, while SGSecure is Singapore's community response to the threat of terrorism. 

CNA has contacted SCDF for more information about the Cell Broadcast System, including how it can complement the other systems in place and which telcos have been roped in.

IMPROVING DISASTER MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES

This system is part of efforts to leverage innovation in disaster management to effectively disseminate emergency messages to the public, Mr Tong said in his speech.

The minister noted that there is room to improve the accuracy of early warning systems at detecting and predicting hazards.

As such, he urged members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to "capitalise" on advancements like artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance disaster management efforts.

"The use of technology, the effect of AI to power of our predictability and innovations, are two key areas in disaster management," he said.

Mr Tong cited an AI-powered weather forecasting system used in the Philippines, which can predict weather patterns with greater accuracy at the neighbourhood level.

Advance alerts issued by this system are designed to give residents more time to prepare for events such as flooding.

Technological innovations can support relief operations too, as shown by the deployment of 10 cyborg cockroaches as part of SCDF's Operation Lionheart rescue team. The 80-member team was sent to Myanmar following the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck in March.

According to a press release by Singapore's Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX), this was not only the first field deployment of cyborg cockroaches but also the first time such robots had been used globally in a humanitarian operation.

According to HTX, the cyborg cockroaches were augmented with infrared cameras and sensors, and helped rescuers search for signs of life at some of the worst-hit areas in Naypyitaw.

Referencing the deployment of these cyborg cockroaches, Mr Tong also said they aided search-and-rescue efforts in inaccessible areas beneath the rubble.

"The point I’m making is that with innovation, we can trial, we can experiment, we can think of what else we can do to level up," he added.

STRENGTHENING REGIONAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

According to Mr Tong, two other areas will be vital for ASEAN’s disaster preparedness in the coming decade: Localisation and knowledge exchange.

He noted that ASEAN has steadily expanded its capabilities to manage disasters.

This includes the ASEAN Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ERAT), which is already equipped with specialised skills to "conduct a very high-level of sophisticated needs assessment and facilitate humanitarian assistance", allowing it to support countries hit by disasters.

Three SCDF officers were part of the ERAT team that assisted in quake relief efforts in Myanmar.

The number of members has also increased from 322 in 2021 to 457 in 2025, with Mr Tong calling it "encouraging" and a "testament to the consistency and value of our training and capacity building".

However, a "one-size-fits-all approach cannot meet the needs of a region as diverse as ASEAN", he added.

Disaster response should be tailored, and Mr Tong noted efforts have been made to customise the ASEAN-ERAT programme to each country’s needs and context.

The efforts include tailoring the curriculum to consider each country’s logistics capabilities as well as the use of local languages.

"This then ensures that local responders can react to an emergency, not just quickly, but in a way which is most effective," he said.

Bringing up Indonesia’s “Disaster Resilient Villages” initiative, Mr Tong pointed out that local community representatives from Panuspan village came together to mitigate the risk of landslides by mapping out disaster evacuation routes and identifying locations to establish landslide warning sirens.

He also mentioned evacuation plans drawn up by an elderly association in Vietnam's Phu Thuong ward to help support immobile people during storms and floods. The level of detail that went into the planning helped "ensure their prompt evacuation to safety during Typhoon Noru in 2022".

Knowledge-sharing across borders will also be key, Mr Tong said.

He highlighted platforms like the ASEAN Strategic Policy Dialogue on Disaster Management and the upcoming Singapore-International Disaster and Emergency Management Expo in November, which will bring together governments, academics and community groups.

The expo will be the largest showcase on disaster management and emergency response in the Asia-Pacific, and it will cover topics ranging from "societal resilience and psychological resilience of the community", he said. 

Partners, such as South Korea, have also contributed to ASEAN's disaster management by training 320 individuals and providing simulation-based disaster exercises through field visits to their incident command centres.

Mr Tong urged ASEAN to continue to leverage the experience of other countries, including South Korea, Japan and China.

"I think we all start with the perspective that there is no monopoly over good ideas - the more we exchange, the more we talk about scenarios, the more we are able to exchange best practices and know-how, the stronger we will be, and we would be able to level up," he said.

ASEAN'S DISASTER MANAGEMENT JOURNEY

Mr Tong said that 2025 marks several key milestones in ASEAN’s disaster management journey. 

He noted that this is the 10th edition of the ASEAN Strategic Policy Dialogue on Disaster Management, adding that it has since grown into a key platform for policymakers, academics and practitioners to exchange ideas and strategies.

Over the past decade, it has fostered collaboration across the region on disaster preparedness and response.

This is also the 20th anniversary of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER), which was formed after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

“Because of AADMER, ASEAN has strengthened its disaster response capability, and this has allowed us to mitigate to some extent the devastation inflicted by natural disasters such as Tropical Cyclone Wipha,” he said.

Despite the growing frequency and severity of disasters linked to climate change, Mr Tong noted ASEAN has made “tremendous progress” in disaster management over the past two decades.

In July, Tropical Cyclone Wipha struck Laos and the Philippines, damaging infrastructure and agricultural land, while Vietnam was also hit.

But the impact of the cyclone was mitigated to some extent, Mr Tong said.

He referenced how regional emergency supplies, such as hygiene kits and shelter toolkits, and stored under the Disaster Emergency Logistics System for ASEAN, were quickly dispatched from a satellite warehouse in Quezon City to help affected communities in remote areas of the country. 

The disaster landscape, with the overlay of climate change, is evolving rapidly, Mr Tong acknowledged.

"In this quickly evolving landscape - not just in technology, but really the disaster landscape, with the overlay of climate change - this will remain very unpredictable, and in fact, if anything, will become even more volatile," he said.

"Nevertheless, I am confident that by embracing the same collaborative spirit, the generosity of sharing knowledge and wisdom and best practices and foresight, just as we did 20 years ago with the signing of AADMER, I think we can remain resilient as a region."