It is a shrill ringtone which worried some cell phone owners. This Thursday, October 17, the Ardèche prefecture is using the new Fr-Alert system for sending automatic messages in real conditions for the first time. It is the crisis management unit which sends them by choosing the location. Four messages were sent. The first at 7:45 a.m. only concerned South Ardèche to inform those who were in the area of the floods. The following ones sent at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. were broadcast via all relay antennas in Ardèche. First to inform of the transition to red alert, then to give instructions due to floods and finally to invite everyone not to travel after 6 p.m.
These messages were also received by many Drômois who live in towns located on the other side of the Rhône bank, notably Valence, Savasse, Loriol, Tain-l’Hermitage, Saint-Vallier and Andancette. This alert does not concern Drôme. Even if everyone is invited not to go to Ardèche during the evening of this Thursday.
