At noon on Saturday, September 19, every active cellphone in Mexico was due to buzz at once. The federal government announced that the alert would reach more than 80 million phones, and that some 23,000 loudspeakers would sound alongside it.
It was billed as Mexico’s second national drill of 2026, with all 32 states taking part. The Riviera Maya News reported the plan on September 18, and The Guadalajara Reporter described the same exercise as the annual National Civil Protection Drill.
Why September 19
The date is not random. On September 19, 1985, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake devastated Mexico City and killed thousands. It led to the creation of the country’s modern civil protection systems, according to the Guadalajara Reporter. Exactly 32 years later, a magnitude 7.1 quake hit central Mexico, causing hundreds of deaths just hours after that year’s morning anniversary drill had ended. This year’s drill fell 41 years after the 1985 disaster. September 19 is officially National Civil Protection Day.
First on a Saturday
Officials made one change this year. For the first time the drill would be held on a Saturday. “For the first time it will be on a Saturday, and this will allow the vast majority of Mexicans to participate from their homes, which will be a very important exercise, a family plan to determine the responsibility of each family member,” an official said, as quoted by the Riviera Maya News.
At noon, authorities would switch on the multi-hazard warning network: public loudspeakers, radio and TV broadcasts, and the cellphone alert. Schools, government offices, businesses and residential communities were expected to practice evacuation, following set routes to meeting points. Emergency services would run coordinated response exercises.
Different hazards, different scenarios
Not every region would rehearse an earthquake. The Guadalajara Reporter said the drill would simulate earthquakes in seismic states such as Mexico City, Guerrero, Oaxaca and Jalisco, and hurricanes, floods or fires elsewhere. The seismic alerts were concentrated in the Pacific states and across central Mexico.
In Quintana Roo the exercise was set to begin at 1 p.m. local time. The Civil Protection Department in Cancun said the city would join the earthquake scenario proposed by the National Center for Disaster Prevention, Cenapred. Residents were advised to pick evacuation routes, set meeting points and assign household roles before the drill began. Buildings and properties could still sign up on the official registration platform.
The phone test comes with caveats. Older or non-compatible phones, devices without a signal and areas where carriers have not upgraded their infrastructure may not receive the broadcast, the Guadalajara Reporter noted. The cellphone alert was first tested nationally in 2025 and is meant to stay a permanent part of the country’s preparedness strategy.
Sources
- Mexico's National Drill Saturday to Sound Seismic Alerts on 80 Million Cellphones
- Millions of cellphones across Mexico to receive emergency alert on Sept. 19
