The Government of Mexico announced that the Second National Drill 2025 will take place on Friday, September 19 at 12:00 p.m., and for the first time, the Mass Alert System will send notifications to 80 million mobile phone users across the country. The National Coordination of Civil Protection (CNPC) and the Agency for Digital Transformation and Telecommunications (ATDT) emphasized that the goal is to strengthen the culture of prevention and timely response to emergencies.
The main scenario considers an 8.1-magnitude earthquake with an epicenter in Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán. Additional hypotheses include a hurricane in Campeche, Yucatán, Sonora, Quintana Roo, and Baja California Sur; an urban fire in Durango, Guanajuato, and Tamaulipas; and a tsunami in Baja California. So far, more than 9 million participants and 125,858 buildings have registered; CNPC invited the public to sign up at preparados.gob.mx to expand coverage of the exercise.
The seismic alert signal will be broadcast through 14,491 loudspeakers, 100 AM/FM radio stations, and 11 television networks. With mobile notifications, Mexico becomes the fourth country to implement this system. ATDT head José Antonio Peña Merino explained that the alert can be activated by specific polygon (neighborhood, town, or locality) and recalled that it was tested on April 19 in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area with 98% coverage.
President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo emphasized that mobile alerts are vital because they reach even rural areas and allow precautions to be taken where no audible alarms are nearby. She reiterated the importance of persistence in prevention, noting that while drills may cause nervousness, they are essential so that “everyone knows what to do” in a real event.
For those who need to verify their settings, ATDT indicated: on Android: Settings → Notifications → Advanced Settings → Wireless Emergency Alerts and enable all options; on Apple: Settings → Notifications and activate alerts at the bottom of the menu. For assistance, citizens may call 079. During the drill, the public is urged to remain calm, follow instructions, and participate actively.
