Neha Chollangi
Special to the Times-Chronicle
B.C. is conducting an emergency alert test today (Wednesday) at 1:55 p.m. (Pacific time) to wireless devices as a part of Alert Ready, Canada’s National Public Alerting System. The alert will appear on mobile phones and broadcasted on television and radio stations.
The test will sound an alert tone, and the message will read “This is a TEST of the British Columbia Emergency Alerting System, issued by Emergency Management British Columbia. This is only a test. If this had been an actual emergency or threat, you would now hear instructions that would assist you to protect you and your family. For further information go to www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca. This is only a test, no action is required.”
This test alert was initially scheduled to take place in May 2020, but was postponed due to COVID-19. The biannual test is a part of Alert Ready that was launched two years ago on April 6, 2018. The initiative was made to ensure that there is a system that can communicate emergency messages to citizens all over the country, and potentially save lives with important warnings.
The Alert Ready system can issue alerts for imminent dangers that include natural disasters (i.e., forest fires, flooding, earthquake), civil threats and amber alerts. Mobile phones need to be connected to a cellular network to receive alerts.
To check if your phone can receive alerts, visit their website and check your phone’s compatibility. The website is http://www.alertready.ca/.
