UK tourists urged to stay calm ahead of Tenerife’s largest ever emergency drill 

A volcanic emergency simulation is set to take place this month (Picture: Getty Images)

Holidaymakers heading to Tenerife this month have been assured there is no cause for concern as the island prepares to carry out its biggest volcanic emergency simulation in history. 

The large-scale exercise, which will take place from September 22 to 26, will test evacuation, communication, and coordination measures across the most popular of the Canary Islands.

Island council president Rosa Dávila has told tourists not to be alarmed. She stressed that Mount Teide, the volcano in question, is unlikely to erupt any time soon. 

The drill will involve more than 1,000 personnel from emergency services, scientific bodies, and local authorities.

Ms Dávila said it’s important to ensure there is a ‘common strategy in place to protect lives and keep people informed’ in the event of a real emergency. 

Is it safe to visit Tenerife? 

Although more than 90 small earthquakes have been detected around Mount Teide in recent weeks, experts insist there is no indication of an imminent eruption.

Visiting Tenerife? Don’t panic, these evacuations are part of a planned simulation (Picture: Getty Images)

According to Lucca D’Auria, director of volcanic monitoring, the tremors are linked to Tenerife’s underground hydrothermal system rather than magma movement. He insisted that all recent events ‘fit within normality’. 

Officials have repeatedly underlined that there is no reason to panic or cancel holidays.

However, there is concern regarding long-term volcanic risk to the island. 

Experts suggest the probability of an eruption is around 40% within the next 50 years, rising to 63% over the next century.

Ms Dávila echoed this in her statement, reminding residents and visitors that Tenerife ‘must not forget that we are volcanically active islands, although we are not at all facing an imminent situation.’

What do we know about the drill? 

The emergency simulation will be concentrated in the north west of the island, covering the areas considered to be at the greatest volcanic risk: Garachico, El Tanque, Santiago del Teide, and Guía de Isora.  

The simulation will be focused in the town of Garachico (Picture: Getty Images)

At 9am, on Monday, September 22, residents and tourists will receive a test alert message via the ES-Alert system, simulating a ‘red-alert’ eruption event. 

Following the communications drill on Monday, a series of drills will unfold throughout the week. Starting with evacuation exercises will be staged in Garachico, starting in the Old Harbour area. 

The operation will bring together a wide range of support services, including the military, scientists, emergency services, local authorities, the Red Cross, universities, national meteorological and geophysical agencies.

Exercises of this scale are rare, having only previously been conducted in a handful of volcanic regions worldwide, such as Stromboli and Sicily in Italy, and Hawaii in the United States.

The UK is also preparing for an emergency drill of its own.

At 3pm on September 7, you will get a taste of what it would be like to face the imminent threat of a nuclear attack, a hurricane, or – more commonly – a major heatwave, flood, or fire.

All phones and tablets equipped with 4G or 5G internet will start buzzing and blaring, and display a message that will reassure people that in this instance, it’s only a test.

This will only be the second time the Emergency Alerts message is sent to every phone in the country.

The government said that testing ‘ensures the system is functioning correctly, should it need to be used in a life-threatening emergency’.

At the last test in April 2023, there were some hiccups, with some receiving the text early or late, and others not receiving it at all.

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