Alerts aplenty: probe underway after barrage of messages during storm

The federal agency responsible for emergency weather notifications says it’s looking into the deluge of tornado and thunderstorm alerts Manitobans received Tuesday night.

“Environment Canada understands that some people may have received what they felt was an excessive number of these alerts and we’re investigating with our partners to confirm the system worked as expected and explore potential improvements,” Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor said Wednesday.

After the storm, Winnipeggers — including Mayor Scott Gillingham — were left wondering why they received so many alerts on their devices about tornadoes in their “mobile coverage area.”

“I live in St. James and I had no less than 20 (Tuesday) night — just in the evening,” Gillingham told reporters Wednesday.

“I think there’s an opportunity always to improve and perhaps to refine those notifications. On the other hand, it’s much better to be safe than sorry. It’s better to have an abundance of caution and have the warning even if it’s not specific to our location.”

Canada’s Alert Ready system was established to to warn the public of imminent or unfolding hazards to life. It’s a partnership of Environment Canada, provinces, territories, emergency management organizations, the broadcast industry, wireless service providers and Pelmorex, the Weather Network’s parent company that collects and disseminates the messages.

Pelmorex, which operates the technical infrastructure component of Alert Ready, said it has received reports that some residents in southern Manitoba received “an unusually high number of alerts during these events.”

“We have launched an investigation and are working closely with (Environment Canada) and the wireless service providers in these areas to determine the cause of the elevated number of alerts reaching some users. We appreciate the public’s patience as we conduct this review,” a Pelmorex spokesperson said in an email.

Opting out of receiving emergency alerts is not an option, the province said. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has mandated that all compatible wireless devices receive all relevant alerts. The warnings are delivered across television, radio and compatible wireless devices.

Gillingham stressed the importance of the alerts when weather is unpredictable and severe, as was the case during Tuesday night’s big storm, which saw 122 millimetres of rain fall at The Forks in Winnipeg.

“Things were changing rapidly…. There were new warnings in new locations so it was a very dynamic situation (Tuesday) night… On the other hand, I think with technology, we can always be refining it. Whether or not those warnings can be more location-specific, I don’t know the answer to that. I’m sure that’s something that will be discussed in the future,” Gillingham said.

A provincial government spokesman said the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization continues to assess all emergency communication platforms. An online form exists for the public to help the organization understand if the Alert Ready system is operating as intended.

The latest feedback from the online form is currently being reviewed, the spokesman said.

The province encouraged Manitobans to access its MB Ready website and the mobile app for up-to-date information on emergency alerts and warnings from Environment Canada.

— with files from Joyanne Pursaga and Chris Kitching

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca