Albertans across the province were inundated with multiple Alberta Emergency Alert System messages that popped up on their phone on Wednesday afternoon.

While it was previously stated that a test of the system would be conducted, the alert archive logged nine test messages. 

Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis issued a statement on Wednesday evening with regard to the multiple messages.

“During the test in Alberta on March 1 of the new national system, a glitch caused multiple test alert messages to be distributed to compatible devices. All partners in the National Public Alerting System are working with the Alberta Public Alerting team to identify and resolve the issue that caused these repeat alerts. 

He added that incidents like the one that occurred are exactly why we conduct testing on the Alert System.

“We need to ensure that the system is working as intended during an actual emergency to protect Albertans. We recognize the disruption these multiple alerts caused Albertans and are addressing this issue as quickly as possible to ensure the system works as intended so we can keep Albertans safe during an emergency.”

However, social media was ablaze with comments on the multiple messages, so much so that 'Emergency Alert' was a trending topic on Twitter. 

The Alberta Emergency Alert system is tested twice a year, during spring and fall.

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