The Finnish Government is preparing just this kind of a system. Launch is expected at earliest in 2011. Planning was started after the 2004 Asian tsunami. In 2

The Finnish Government is preparing just this kind of a system. Launch is expected at earliest in 2011. Planning was started after the 2004 Asian tsunami. In 2007 the upfront costs of an emergency alert system were estimated at 1,5 to 6 million euros. At that point the Ministry of the Interior decided to mothball the project. This year we've had record breaking storm damages. It's likely that development of such system will once again be a priority. In Finland, mobile emergency alert system is seen as an alternative to current national emergency broadcasts (tv, radio - similar to EAS). Currently the system is very stupid - single bear sightings are pushed nationwide in every broadcast media. It's mostly a matter of too lax regulation on the use of emergency broadcasts, but ultimately a new, more localized delivery method would be needed. This would mean SMS emergency alerts pushed through local cell towers. For further info on the Finnish project: Google "hätätekstiviesti" and Google Translate.