A new public emergency alert system for cellphones was tested across British Columbia today, with only some residents receiving the alert.
It’s part of a Canada-wide system, AlertReady, that allows government officials to issue public safety alerts through major television and radio broadcasters and compatible wireless devices.
The alert was meant for smartphones, TV, and other devices. People with compatible devices connected to a LTE network would hear a short tone similar to an ambulance alarm or feel a vibration for eight seconds at 1:55PM.
Those who didn’t receive the alert took to Twitter, wondering about why they didn’t receive the alert. A Twitter poll showed that 47% of our readers did not receive the alert.
The Emergency Alert test for British Columbia was scheduled for today! Did you receive an alert?
— 604 Now | Vancouver (@604Now) May 9, 2018
Twitter users wasted no time to take to the social platform and express their thoughts and frustrations:
Well my phone didn’t go off for this planned #emergencyalert here in Canada, so I guess I’ll just die then. pic.twitter.com/5BzNab5BjM
— Ashley Shuttleworth (Updates) (@PaperAshes) May 7, 2018
This #emergencyalert arrived on my personal @TELUS phone but not on my work-issued @Rogers phone. In our newsroom, there seems to be random success/failure on either network. pic.twitter.com/QXM0LIjWZV
— Chris Gailus (@chrisgailus) May 9, 2018
Me, when I see that many people have received the #AlertReady #emergencyalert… and I haven't: pic.twitter.com/nMnLWN79jW
— Eric Mark Do (@EricMarkDo) May 7, 2018
Interestingly enough, almost no one in our office of high-tech workers got the #emergencyalert here at our UBC campus. (One did, though. Weird)
— @[email protected] (@AnthonyFloyd) May 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/Koldonkey/status/994308822188548096
The #EmergencyAlert did not work on my phone. I did not receive a notification. #AlertReady. @EmergencyInfoBC @TELUS
— BEN WILSON (@BenWilsonThings) May 9, 2018
My lovely wife has same phone, same provider and she received the #emergencyalert yet i didn’t?! @PreparedBC must know I’m already soo prepared #preparedbc pic.twitter.com/rsMJDGilnu
— Matt MacDonald (@meteo_matt) May 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/AndyCole84/status/994331282036310016
Provincial officials are currently investigating as to why the emergency alert system failed to send notifications to all devices.
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