You may notice an alert on your mobile phone, TV or radio next week as a cross-country test of the National Public Alerting System is set to go ahead.
B.C. government officials said the test will happen on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 1:55 p.m. (Pacific Time).
“The test alert will go to all compatible cellphones and interrupt radio and television broadcasts,” said B.C. government officials.
The message to cell phones will read: “This is a TEST of the BC Emergency Alert system. This is ONLY a TEST. In an emergency, this message would tell you what to do to stay safe. This information could save your life. Click for more info: www.emergencyinfobc.ca/test. This is ONLY a TEST. No action is required.”
The provincial government said this is meant to assess the system’s readiness in case of an actual emergency and find any adjustments they may have to make.
“Recognizing the importance of this tool, the Province expanded the use of BC Emergency Alerts beyond tsunami warnings in 2022 to also include imminent threats from floods, wildfires and extreme heat emergencies. Police issue Amber Alerts and alerts for civil emergencies,” said B.C. officials.