Singapore: Heavy rain SMS alerts launched

Mustafa Shafawi Channel NewsAsia 8 Aug 11;

SINGAPORE: Members of the public can subscribe to a new Heavy Rain Warning SMS alert service.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said subscribers of the service will receive alerts via SMS when heavy rain is expected over any of the five sectors -- north, south, east, west, central -- across Singapore.

The lead time for the warnings is usually between 15 and 45 minutes.

Subscribers will also receive tidal information should the heavy rain coincide with high tide.

Another SMS will be sent to inform subscribers when heavy rain is no longer expected or has ceased.

The Heavy Rain Warning SMS alert service is part of the Integrated Heavy Rain and Water Level Alert Service which is operated jointly by NEA and national water agency PUB.

Members of the public can subscribe to either one or both services.

Members of the public who want to keep tabs on the water level in a canal or drain at a designated location can subscribe to the Water Level SMS alert service from PUB.

Subscribers will receive progressive SMS alerts if the water level in the selected canal rises above 50 per cent, 75 per cent, 90 per cent and 100 per cent of the canal's depth.

Separate SMS alerts will be sent to subscribers to inform them when the water level recedes to below 90 per cent, 75 per cent and 50 per cent.

To obtain the free services, the public can go the PUB website or via a weblink at NEA's Heavy Rain Warning webpage.

The heavy rain warning is also on Weather@SG, NEA's myENV iPhone app and updates can be obtained via RSS Feeds.

Updates on water level information can also be accessed via PUB's Facebook Page.

-CNA/wk

Free SMS alerts to warn of heavy rain
New service by NEA complements PUB's on drain/canal water levels
Huang Lijie Straits Times 9 Aug 11;

THE public can now turn to a new heavy-rain SMS alert service to prepare for possible flash floods.

The service, offered free by the National Environment Agency (NEA), will alert users via SMS when heavy rain is expected over any of the five parts - north, south, east, west, or central - of Singapore.

The warning is expected to come between 15 minutes and 45 minutes before a downpour.

This service is part of an integrated heavy-rain and water-level alert service operated by NEA and the national water agency PUB.

Since last month, PUB has been providing the public with SMS flood alerts based on the water levels in canals and drains. The service to date has 860 subscribers.

PUB sends progressive SMS alerts to subscribers when the water level of a canal of the user's choice rises above 50 per cent, 75 per cent, 90 per cent and 100 per cent of the canal's depth.

But some building managers in flood- affected areas have said that there is sometimes hardly any time for them to react after they receive PUB's water-level alert. The new SMS service, which will precede alerts from PUB, is expected to give them more lead time to respond.

The NEA alerts will also provide the height and time of high tide should heavy rain coincide with high tide.

When a downpour is no longer expected or has ceased, an SMS will be sent out.

While the two SMS alert services complement each other, they are offered separately.

So, those who subscribed to PUB's SMS flood alert earlier and want to receive heavy-rain warning alerts from NEA will need to sign up separately for the latter's service.

The public can subscribe to either one or both free services at http://www.pub.gov.sg/managingflashfloods/wls/Pages/SubscriptiontoSMSAlerts.aspx , or via a weblink at NEA's heavy-rain warning webpage at http://app2.nea.gov.sg/advisory_heavyrain.aspx

The NEA's heavy-rain warning is also available on its webpage, its mobile website Weather@SG, and its Twitter page.

Mr Kazem Fadakar, 47, a businessman living in Jalan Eunos where it sometimes floods, said he would subscribe to NEA's heavy-rain warning to 'be better prepared' for downpours.

Businesses like bakery chain Cedele, which was affected by the flood in June, also welcomed NEA's heavy-rain SMS alert service.

Its executive director, Ms Yeap Cheng Guat, 48, said: 'When it rained last weekend, I was worried about whether our shops would be affected and I had to call the stores and malls to check.

'But, with this service, our management staff and store managers can quickly give orders to the crew to get ready for possible floods.'