The Philippines has passed a law that requires mobile phone companies to send warnings to millions of people in the path of deadly typhoons, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes in an effort to reduce the high number of fatalities that occur almost every year.
The measure is in response to one of the deadliest typhoons ever to make landfall: typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 6300 people and displaced four million in the central Philippines in 2013.
The Free Mobile Disaster Act, which was signed last week by President Benigno Aquino III but announced on Friday, directs mobile phone operators to send out alerts about storms, tsunamis or other calamities when required by national disaster agencies.
Similar early-warning systems are in place in a number of other countries, including Japan.
The Philippines is hit by about 20 typhoons a year and sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common.
The new law says the alerts should include up-to-date information sent directly to subscribers in or near the area to be hit by a potential calamity.
The messages should also include contact information for local governments and other agencies and possibly details such as evacuation or relief sites and pick-up points for those fleeing their homes.
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