Next week the City of Nelson will be performing a test of the emergency broadcast system.
The test will happen on May 9 at 11:30 a.m. and anyone who registered with the Voyant Alert app will receive the notification on whatever device they used to register. Notifications will be labelled as a critical alert and play noise during the test.
According to a media release, the test is aimed to get residents thinking about emergency preparedness, and to provide a preview of what an emergency notification alert will look and sound like.
Emergency notifications which aren’t tests will only be used in the event of a nearby wildfire, hazardous material release, extreme weather or high-consequence event.
In the event of a disaster, Voyant will advise users on what is happening and what they should do, such as preparing for evacuation or taking shelter by closing doors and windows.
The Voyant Alert system is the primary notification system used in communities throughout the Kootenays including the RDCK, RDKB and RDEK.
The city urges anyone who hasn’t signed up to go to their website and download the app or download it from iOS or the Android store.