Steps to take when you receive an Amber Alert on your phone
The Alert Ready system issues various types of warnings. It’s important to know how to act when a notification is broadcast.
Have you ever received an emergency alert and wondered how to respond? The Alert Ready system provides various types of warnings.
An Amber Alert in particular is an emergency broadcast issued during a child abduction. It is only activated when the child is believed to be at imminent risk of bodily harm or death.
"If you happen to see or hear this Amber Alert, we are urging the public to watch for the child, the suspect and or the vehicle that's actually described in the alert," says Alicia McCracken, co-lead for the alerting program with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). "And if you have any information regarding an Amber Alert, or you have an immediate report or sightings, please contact the police at 911, or you can call Crime Stoppers."
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The Alert Ready system is also used to inform the public about imminent weather threats. It is a collaborative initiative between federal and provincial governments, service providers, and Pelmorex to help keep Canadians safe.
"If National Resources Canada decides to issue an alert through the alert ready system, it will look very similar to any other alert issued through alert ready, whether its a tornado warning or an Amber Alert," says Martin Bélanger, Head of Public Alerting at Pelmorex. "Those alerts are sent to television, radio station and all mobile phones in the effected area."
If you receive the notification, read the alert carefully, and follow the advised actions.