Did you get an emergency alert on your phone because of the heat dome, wildfires, or floods last year? No, you didn’t.
It would seem that unless there is a tsunami, earthquake, or Amber Alert, the government chose not to use its ‘Alert Ready’ system to warn you of emergencies.
After a series of catastrophic natural disasters, and public outcry, this finally appears to be changing.
In its own communications, the government now says that the “system is only used during large-scale disasters or emergencies where loss of life is possible or imminent.”
But 2021 was a banner year for climate change disasters in British Columbia. Lots of us questioned why Victoria didn’t trigger the system for wildfires, the heat dome, and catastrophic flooding.
Apparently, the government is sensitive to feedback on this, especially when that feedback comes on Twitter.
If 2022 is anything like 2021, let’s hope the government will be keener to alert us to incoming disasters…before they happen.
