B.C. to test emergency alert system this afternoon

A test of B.C.'s emergency alert system is scheduled to be sent across B.C. Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, the alert will go to all compatible cellphones, causing them to sound an alarmand will interrupt radio and television broadcasts at 1:55 p.m. PT Wednesday.

The test alert will read, in part, "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."

The test of B.C.'s emergency alert system comes while much of the province is under wind warnings due to the formation of a 'bomb cyclone' over the Pacific.

CBC science communicator Darius Mahdavi said Tuesday that current modelling showedthe storm's centralpressure could be comparable to thatof aCategory 3 or 4 hurricane.

Environment Canada said earlier this week that easterly wind speeds of 90 km/h, gusting up to 120 km/h, will develop starting Tuesday.

Partsof the North Coast will likely see the strongest winds, with gustsup to 150 km/h, Mahdavi said.

The emergency alert system is tested twice a year once in the spring and once in the fall, the province said. If you don't receive an alert, it may mean your phone is not connected to an LTE cellular network. The alert won't go through if a phone is set to do not disturb or is in airplane mode, or if its software is out of date.

Emergency alerts are sent in the event of tsunamis, wildfires, floods and extreme heat. Police also issue them for civil emergencies and Amber Alerts.