App that sends emergency alerts to your smartphone

Toronto: An app, known as E-lerter, scans the internet for notices and emergency alerts like weather warnings and sends notifications directly to your smartphone.

According to its developer Jamie Brandt from the Alberta-based firm Stony Plain, the notification banner will not vanish until it has been acknowledged.

"That means you will not miss any important warnings," he added.

The app users can also specify which area to scan for emergency alerts so that they would only receive local-specific news.

According to Brandt, E-lerter makes sense as people have become more reliant on their mobile devices.