The City of Greater Sudbury has some kinks to work out in its new emergency alert system.
People can sign up and receive alerts from the city by phone, text or e-mail, if there is a potential public safety hazard to report.
During the first test this week, not everyone was able to understand a phone message.
Many English-speaking residents heard only French instructions.
CTV asked the city what went wrong and we were told no one was available for an interview.
In a statement the city said: “Testing of the system allows us to identify gaps as well as make the necessary improvements.”
The emergency notification system was launched in February to alert the public about possible hazards or threats to public safety.
“To alert the public, so that they can safely avoid the area or get out of the area, or hold and secure within their residences if need be,” said inspector Todd Zimmerman, Greater Sudbury Police Service.
“It’s very important that people are prepared for emergencies, emergencies occur at unexpected times, when you look at what's happening in the Ottawa area with the extensive flooding.”
So far, about 4,000 people have signed up for Sudbury alerts.
At this point there is no word if or when the city is planning another test of the system after this week's glitch.
