Don’t be alarmed if your phones go off with an alert sound this week.
The province is testing a National Public Alerting System (NPAS) this week as part of a national alert testing system.
The alert will be sent to cell phones and it will interrupt radio and television broadcasts at 10:55 a.m. on Wednesday, May 8.
“Emergency alerts are broadcast on TV, radio, and cell phones to provide urgent, life-saving information during emergencies,” Emergency Info BC’s website says.
This will be the first test of Canada’s ability to issue alerts.
Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness announced that this exercise is being conducted to assess the system’s readiness for a real emergency.
“The safety of Canadians is our top priority. That is why the Government of Canada is building and testing its capacity to share timely information to Canadians. I would like to thank the Provinces and Territories that are supporting Public Safety Canada’s participation in this important public test across the country,” he said.
The test will also be conducted in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut and Yukon.