SaskAlert emergency public advisory program officially launches

A tornado is seen near Highway 8 between Wroxton and Kamsack in this photo taken on July 6, 2013 by storm chaser Ryan Crouse.

The Saskatchewan government has announced the launch of SaskAlert, the province’s new emergency public alerting program.

The program has successfully completed its testing phase and is being implemented across Saskatchewan, Government Relations Minister Jim Reiter said in a news release Thursday.

“SaskAlert can provide critical information about emergency situations as they are developing so residents of the affected area will be able to take action to protect themselves, their families and property,” Reiter said in the release.

“Residents will also be able to receive updates on evolving emergency situations directly from their local television and radio stations, as well as online.”

The SaskAlert program allows alerts to be created for severe weather-related events, such as tornadoes, plow winds, flooding and blizzards.

Other events that could trigger an alert include wildfires, hazardous spills, train derailments, boil water and shelter-in-place advisories, major highway closures and community evacuations.

Once an alert has been issued through the program, it will be picked up by provincial media outlets and aired on local radio or television. Alerts will also appear on SaskAlert.ca, as well as on The Weather Network website and smartphone app.

Live testing of the SaskAlert program was conducted in communities across southwestern Saskatchewan in February.