Not the real deal: Manitobans to receive emergency alert test

Manitobans will soon be getting an alert to their TVs, radios, and some wireless devices. But not to fear. It’s just a test.

On May 8, the National Public Alerting System, Alert Ready, will send out an emergency alert test message at 1:55 p.m. The Manitoba government said not everyone will receive the alert on their mobile device because of potential compatibility, network, software, and setting issues.

Testing is a “necessary part of any public alerting system. It provides an opportunity to validate and improve the end-to-end performance and reliability of the system to ensure it operates as it is intended,” the province said.

It noted the test alerts are also helpful for seeing what a real one would look and sound like in a life-threatening situation.

For more information, go to alertready.ca.

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