Mexico to Hold National Earthquake Drill Saturday at Noon

Mexico will conduct its Second National Drill of 2026 on Saturday, September 19, at 12:00 p.m. Central Time. The exercise involves all 32 federal entities and tests five regional earthquake scenarios with magnitudes ranging from 5.2 to 7.7.

The National Civil Protection Coordination confirmed that more than 80 million cell phones will receive a test alert via Cell Broadcast technology. The message will identify itself as a drill and does not require internet or mobile data to arrive.

“"All phones in the Mexican Republic will ring at 12 noon, Central Mexico time."”

Approximately 23,000 public loudspeakers will also sound the seismic alert in areas with existing infrastructure. Authorities aim to evaluate family emergency plans, evacuation routes, and institutional response times.

The date marks the anniversaries of the devastating 1985 and 2017 earthquakes. A flag-raising ceremony is scheduled for 7:19 a.m. at the Zócalo in Mexico City to honor victims before the drill begins.

For Mexicans in the United States, alerts are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Eastern, 1:00 p.m. Central, and 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time. The hypothetical scenario for the central zone, including Guerrero, models a magnitude 7.7 quake with an epicenter near Tehuacán, Puebla, at a depth of 67 kilometers.