Spring Storm runs to May 17 and will include during its final three days a combat scenario in Pärnu County and on the islands of Hiiumaa and Saaremaa, ETV news show "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported Thursday.

For the first time ever, the exercise will also involve a civilian component, as role players take part in an evacuation exercise, and actual local residents will be getting SMS emergency messages.

This aspect of Spring Storm begins on May 14, with a hazard notification exercise, in Kilingi-Nõmme, Pärnu County, while over the following two days, an aerial threat and NBC scenario is to be rehearsed, this time in Pärnu.

Local residents will receive an SMS message instructing them to take cover.

From May 13, roads between Abja-Paluoja, Viljandi County, and Kilingi Nõmme, and between Abja-Paluoja and Tõlla, Pärnu County, will be closed to all bar local residents and public transport.

Naiskodukaitse, the women's Defense League organization, has prepared the "Ole Valmis" ("Be prepared") app, which allows civilians to record various aircraft types spotted, and to report them (the app itself will deal with identification).

Elise Jakson, development specialist with Naiskodukaitse, said that the updated app will go on line May 10.

Jakson said: "The app operates very simply. You just open it, point the camera at any flying object - airplane, helicopter, or drone, and take an image. This can then be sent to the 'Ole Valmis' server, where artificial intelligence processes all the data and provides the final information to the defense forces."

Janek Murakas, crisis manager at the emergency center, said: "Whenever an SMS is sent, the information in it will be very general."

"For example, if we're talking about an air raid, it will essentially just state 'take cover.' As for more detailed instructions on any event that the emergency center issues notifications, be it an air strike or another incident, residents can always contact national information phone on 1247, or log on to the kriis.ee website," Murakas went on.

Spring Storm runs from Monday, May 6, to Friday, May 17, inclusive.

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