REGINA -- Saskatchewan residents have a new way to learn about emergencies such as wildfires, tornadoes, blizzards, hazardous material spills, boil water advisories and evacuations.

The province has launched a new mobile app and website to give people information they need when an emergency strikes.

The SaskAlert app for iPhone and Android operating systems will send a tone and notification directly to people, even when the app is closed.

People can opt to receive emergency alerts for the entire province, for a particular community, for multiple communities or for nearby areas when they're travelling across Saskatchewan.

Emergency management commissioner Duane McKay says the website will have critical information including where evacuation centres would be located.

McKay says that means people can get trusted information about the emergency and take action to stay safe.