Vive Le Canada - National weather-warning system on the way

National weather-warning system on the way: Manitoba minister

Fri Feb 8, 7:45 AM

WINNIPEG (CBC) - As residents of five U.S. states clean up after a series of deadly tornadoes earlier this week, government officials in Manitoba announced the province will beef up systems to protect residents from severe weather.

Officials said Thursday that several new programs will be put in place to help prepare for severe weather, including training for schoolchildren, wider availability of weather radio and more weather-watching volunteers.

But Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Steve Ashton said the greatest improvement will come in 2010, when a national public weather alerting system is launched.

"This will allow us to use that ability to get it right down to you in your living room when you need it, and that doesn't exist now," Ashton said.

"We're going to use all the broadcasting techniques and all of the telecommunications that we have available to pinpoint the average person anywhere in the country that we need to get that message to," Ashton said. "That's something that would have been a dream 20, 30 years ago."

The CRTC-approved program will force all broadcasters to issue weather alerts during severe weather.

"You are going to have an automatic interruption of your TV and your radio and other technologies," including cellphones, satellite TV and internet service, said Chuck Sanderson with Manitoba's Emergency Measures Organization.

The national system will cost about $9 million, officials said; Manitoba's share will be about $300,000.

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