B.C. prepared to use Alert Ready notification system as storms continue, minister says
B.C. officials urged residents to avoid all non-essential travel as the province deals with the second in a string of three storms and prepares for the final one.
"We're in the middle of one of the most intense series of storms that we have seen along coastal B.C.," said Deputy Premier and Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth at a news conference Sunday morning, as highways between the Lower Mainland and the Interior remained closed and residents of an Abbotsford neighbourhood evacuated in anticipation of more flooding.
"This is historic weather, intensified by climate change," the minister said.
Farnworth asked British Columbians to "hope for the best and prepare for the worst," and said the province is prepared to use the Alert Ready emergency notification system as necessary in communities as weather-related challenges arise.
As of earlier this month, B.C. was the only province in Canada that hadn't used Alert Ready at least once since it became available to provinces in 2019.
Tracking on Alert Ready's website now indicates that B.C. has used the system twice for civil emergencies in 2021.
The system allows emergency officials to send notifications to all cellphones in range of specific cell towers in a given region, but B.C. has primarily used it in province-wide tests over the last three years.
Provincial officials came under significant criticism for failing to activate the system during the devastating storm that closed highways and flooded Abbotsford's Sumas Prairie earlier this month.
Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun said at the time that it was his decision not to send an alert, saying he didn't want to alarm the entire city.
Alerts can be more targeted than that, however, and Farnworth said Sunday that the province is prepared to support local officials in using the system in the coming days.
"Should a community or communities feel that there is an imminent threat to life or public safety, the province stands ready to issue what we call a broadcast-intrusive alert," Farnworth said. "Local governments are the experts on the ground, and emergency managers at the local and provincial levels will continue to closely co-ordinate through the days ahead."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
Spanish prosecutors recommend 2nd investigation into Shakira's taxes be thrown out
Spanish state prosecutors recommended Wednesday that an investigating judge shelve a probe into another alleged case of tax fraud by pop star Shakira.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Israel says it reopened a key Gaza crossing after a rocket attack but the UN says no aid has entered
The Israeli military said Wednesday that it has reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, a key terminal for the entry of humanitarian aid that was closed over the weekend after a Hamas rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers nearby.