Tornadoes put emergency warning system to the test in southern Manitoba

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WINNIPEG — A new emergency alert system was put to the test Wednesday night after the first two confirmed tornadoes of the year swept through southern Manitoba.

WATCH: At least 2 tornadoes touch down in Manitoba

Alert Ready warnings were put in place by the CRTC to provide potentially life-saving information to Canadians by cutting into radio and television broadcasts. The system is run by the Weather Network and was tested in Manitoba in May.

READ MORE: New Alert Ready emergency warning system to be tested Wednesday

“It cut in to the regular broadcasting… issued the warning and it spoke about where it was,” Agnes Gaultier said, she lives in Carman and heard the warning on the radio while driving. “All of a sudden something like that kicks in then you’re immediately paying attention.”

The province said there were some issues with the audio quality of the alerts. The automated voice appears to have some difficulty pronouncing the names of some towns and RMs.

The provincial Emergency Measures oganization says it working to improve the system and its processes.