NWT Alert
NWT Alert is the NWT’s public alerting system and shares notices and alerts about public safety, weather risks, major emergencies, evacuations, and other threats.
How NWT Alert works
For critical events, where life and safety could be impacted, NWT Alert shares intrusive alerts on television, radio, and wireless devices such as cell phone. Notices and alerts are also shared on the NWT Alert website and on the Alertable app.
The NWT Alert website provides information on Canada wide alerts, from Canada’s Alert Ready emergency alert system, severe weather alerts from Environment Canada, as well as any alerts issued by the GNWT.
Alertable is a trustworthy and reliable smart emergency alert platform used by multiple local, regional, and territorial/provincial governments across Canada to inform more people of disasters and hazards. Alertable is the only commercial emergency alerting platform that is fully integrated with Canada’s national public alert system, Alert Ready.
Broadcast Intrusive Alerts
The broadcast intrusive capability of this system enables the delivery of critical and potentially life-saving information to the public through television, radio and compatible wireless devices. Residents and visitors do not have to sign up for these alerts and due to the critical nature of the alerts, residents cannot opt out of receiving these alerts.
Broadcast intrusive alerts are reserved for those events where life and safety are under immediate threat and time is critical.
NWT Alert uses the national Alert Ready system to issue these broadcast intrusive alerts. Alert Ready was developed in partnership with federal, provincial and territorial emergency management officials, Environment Canada and the broadcast industry to ensure you receive alerts immediately and know when to take action to keep yourself and your family safe.
NWT Alert can be accessed by all GNWT departments for emergency public alerting promoting GNWT “single window” philosophy to providing citizens critical information and direction.
Types of Alerts
A Critical Alert provides necessary information when there is an immediate and threatening danger. Some criteria include:
- There is a significant threat to people.
- The risk is immediate.
- The alert can provide critical or life-saving information.
Examples are wildfires, flash floods, landslides, hazmat incidents, and tornado.
An Advisory Alert provides information to the public to help them prepare for a possible emergency or other disruptive event. This might include the same types of events that would result in a Critical Alert but an Advisory might be sent beforehand to prepare, or after when there is important response and recovery information. Other events might always be Advisories because they aren’t life-threatening, or the threat is to property only.
Examples include: high water, road closures, weather related incidents, and utility outages.
A Critical Alert provides necessary information when there is an immediate and threatening danger. Some criteria include:
- There is a significant threat to people.
- The risk is immediate.
- The alert can provide critical or life-saving information.
Examples are wildfires, flash floods, landslides, hazmat incidents, and tornado.
An Advisory Alert provides information to the public to help them prepare for a possible emergency or other disruptive event. This might include the same types of events that would result in a Critical Alert but an Advisory might be sent beforehand to prepare, or after when there is important response and recovery information. Other events might always be Advisories because they aren’t life-threatening, or the threat is to property only.
Examples include: high water, road closures, weather related incidents, and utility outages.