Chemical risk alarms to test sound on Wednesday in Barcelona and neighboring cities

All chemical risk alarms in Barcelona and neighboring counties will go off on Wednesday at 11 am for a sound test, Civil Protection announced on Monday at a press conference.

Cell phones in 16 municipalities, including Barcelona, will receive an emergency push notification at 11 am, while 40 chemical risk alarms will go off simultaneously. These alarms are used to warn residents when a real chemical hazard occurs.

The test on Wednesday 15 will occur in Barcelona's Zona Franca and Port area, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Castellbisbal, Terrassa, Abrera, Cornellà de Llobregat, El Prat de Llobregat, Esparreguera, Martorell, Olesa de Montserrat, Sant Andreu de la Barca, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Sant Joan Despí, Santa Coloma de Cervelló and Viladecans. 

In total, there are 422,681 residents registered in the areas where the alarm is set to go off.

That includes 40 schools, with 16,663 teachers, students and educational center workers.

This is the last chemical risk alarm drill this year in Catalonia, following the one in Tarragona on September 20, and another one in the Aran, Bages and Valles Oriental counties on October 18.

What to do during a real alert? 

During a real alert, after the alarms go off or messages are sent, it is important to take immediate shelter in the closest building. Authorities urge the public not to remain on the streets. 

It's imperitive to switch off the AC to keep the outside air from entering the building and to stay indoors at all cost, checking for news updates online using the @emergenciescat profile on social media or local media outlets.

How will the alarm go off? 

To mark the beginning of the drill, there will be three one-minute alarms, each sent five seconds apart.  

The end of the drill will be marked by a 30-second alarm without pauses. 

Authorities are also asking residents to fill out a survey after the test to report on whether the messages were received correctly and if the alarms were audible.