Emergency alert test coming as B.C. mops up from ‘bomb cyclone’ [Video]

A test for Canada’s emergency alert system is set to take place just as British Columbia cleans up from a so-called “bomb cyclone” weather system that cut power and battered parts of the coast with hurricane-force winds.

The national alert system is typically tested twice a year, with the next test set to take place today at 1:55 p.m. Pacific time.

The test involves an alert tone and message broadcast to radio, television and compatible mobile devices.

While the messages will say the alert is a test, it comes as about 80,000 people remain without power across B.C., mostly on Vancouver Island, and as weather warnings remain in place for parts of the province’s south coast.

The Ministry of Emergency Management says in a statement that it recognizes that many parts of the province are still under weather and wind warnings, but ensuring that its systems are tested regularly is …