Residents of B.C. may find themselves startled by blaring cellphones this Wednesday afternoon, only to see the familiar words: This is ONLY a TEST.
The Ministry of Emergency Management will be testing the province’s emergency alert system on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 1:55 p.m.
The test will send out an emergency notification to all compatible cellphones on an LTE network, as well as an emergency broadcast that will interrupt regular programming on radio and television.
The B.C. emergency alert system is separate from the federal earthquake early warning system and is responsible for sending out extreme weather warnings issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada or emergency notifications (like Amber Alerts) issued by police.
In the case of a real emergency, the alert messages would describe the hazard and provide important information on how to stay safe.
Regular testing occurs twice a year to ensure the system is working as intended or if it needs adjustments. Testing is also meant to let the public know what to expect and to increase awareness about the emergency alert system.
The province is asking residents to complete an online survey after the test to gather data on the reach of the test message. The survey will be available in English and in French.
Sally Ji is a Kwantlen Polytechnic University practicum student working with Black Press Media.