Thousands Get Evacuation Text Messages After Massive WWII Bomb Found

A rare activation of the emergency alert system occurred in the United Kingdom on Friday as thousands of residents in a regional city were evacuated due to the discovery of a Second World War bomb.

Discovered under a garden by a construction crew on Thursday, the 500kg (approximately 1,100lbs) Second World War era bomb prompted the establishment of a 300-meter (330 yard) exclusion zone around the property by police. As it was determined that the military would transport the bomb out to sea for disposal, the evacuation area was extended along the planned route.

The decision to not destroy the bomb in place was made due to the risk of damage to nearby houses. Found in Plymouth, Devon, the city’s strategic importance as a major naval base facing France to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the West made it a prime target for German bombing during the Second World War. Much of the city center was destroyed in the numerous air raids it endured.

Sappers worked to dislodge the bomb, partially buried under a post-war concrete slab, before loading it onto a military vehicle for transport in convoy to the Torpoint Ferry slipway, where it will be destroyed in a controlled explosion at sea.

Residents were notified via the emergency alert system, which enables the government to send text messages to all cell phones in a designated area, advising them of the bomb’s transportation route and the need to evacuate.

The evacuation, involving over 3,000 people, is one of the largest of its kind in peacetime, according to the Ministry of Defence. Police officers, assisted by soldiers, sailors, local government personnel, and a team of mountain rescue specialists, went door to door to ensure every home was evacuated before the operation commenced.