Emergency alert tests will go off on cellphones, TVs and radios around B.C. on Wednesday (May 8).
The alert will sound at 10:55 a.m. (Pacific time) on Wednesday as part of a Canada-wide test of the National Public Alerting System. It will go to all compatible cellphones, as well as interrupt radio and television broadcasts.
B.C.’s Emergency Management Ministry says Natural Resources Canada will launch an earthquake early warning system that can “provide crucial seconds of warning before the strong shaking arrives.”
The province expanded the use of the emergency alert system beyond tsunami warnings in 2022 to include imminent threats from floods, wildfires and extreme heat emergencies. Police use the system for Amber Alerts and civil emergencies.
B.C. issued 24 emergency alerts during the 2023 wildfire season.
Alerts are broadcast at no cost to the user.
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