4. Where any alert threshold or any information threshold laid down in Section 4 of Annex I is exceeded, or, where appropriate, if it is predicted to be exceeded based on modelling applications or other forecasting tools, Member States shall take the necessary steps to inform the public within the shortest possible timeframe and as far as possible within a few hours, in accordance with points 2 and 3 of Annex X, making use of different media and communication channels and ensuring broad public access.