Not everyone in Almaty received the earthquake alert: MES explains why

Tengrinews.kz – On December 4, an earthquake occurred in Almaty and the Almaty region. Many Kazakhstanis noted that alerts arrived with a noticeable delay, and some did not receive them at all. The Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) commented on the situation.

What happened

The estimated intensity of the tremors in Almaty was three points. After the earthquake, Kazakhstanis posted several messages on Threads discussing how the alert system worked.

Users pointed out that in an emergency, such delays could create additional risks.

Others reacted with humor and began joking about the situation.

Response from the MES and DES

We contacted the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for a comment. They responded that “all alert systems worked correctly.”

“Residents received notifications on their phones — both through the Mass Alert system and via SMS. The warning system with the signal ‘Attention everyone!’ was also activated, along with instructions on what to do in case of an earthquake. Voice warnings were broadcast through city sirens,” the ministry said.

The MES reminded that the Mass Alert system operates on cellular networks and depends on the technical parameters and capacity of mobile operators’ equipment. The speed of message delivery is influenced by several factors, including the distance of mobile devices from base stations and the current network load.

“The Mass Alert emergency notification system operated as intended: duty officers promptly initiated the transmission command. The alert system with the ‘Attention everyone!’ signal was also activated,” the MES stated.

The ministry added that differences in message delivery times “are technical in nature and are solely related to the specifics of how cellular networks operate under increased load.”

“In September 2024, Apple released the updated iOS 18 for devices used in Kazakhstan. Phones not compatible with this operating system cannot receive Mass Alert notifications,” the MES explained.

Another possible reason is a disabled Cell Broadcast service. On some devices (Xiaomi, Huawei), this function may be hidden in settings or operate with limitations, the MES noted.

We reached out to the Almaty Department of Emergency Situations (DES) for comments. We were asked to send an official request through E-otinish.

Meanwhile, an interesting comment came from the DES of the Almaty region — residents there also felt the earthquake today. Some received alerts with a delay.

For example, a resident of Talgar reported that she received the warning 20 minutes later. She provided us with a screenshot of the message.

According to the MES, the seismic network registered the earthquake on December 4 at 12:44 PM. However, the Kazakhstani resident received the alert only at 1:04 PM. The estimated intensity of the tremors in Talgar was also three points.

The DES of the Almaty region provided a comment on the situation.

“After the earthquake was recorded, it was necessary to confirm the parameters of the seismic tremors, determine the degree of perceptibility within the region, and receive official data from the MES seismic stations. Once the confirmed information was received, the Mass Alert system was activated to warn the population about possible aftershocks and safety measures,” the department told us.

According to the press service, the Mass Alert notifications were sent selectively — only to those localities where, according to official data, the tremors were indeed felt.

“After obtaining accurate information, the alert system was launched in the prescribed manner,” the department noted.

What was previously said about the system

As the MES explained earlier, the system is automated. It consists of two parts:

• the Automated Early Warning Systems (АEWS), and
• the Mass Alert instant notification system.

According to the ministry, the full cycle of data processing and signal issuance takes 2–3 seconds, allowing the system to warn people before strong seismic waves arrive.

AEWS

AEWS is a network of 28 seismic stations located on the Almaty seismic testing ground. The system automatically detects the approach of destructive seismic waves and transmits a warning signal in advance, including through Mass Alert. According to the MES, all stations are currently “operational.”

Mass Alert

This is a system of emergency push notifications that instantly alerts all subscribers within the coverage area of mobile base station antennas using Cell Broadcast technology.

“Mass Alert processes more than 60,000 base station sectors across Almaty and its suburbs from all three mobile operators within one minute,” the MES reported.