LOS ANGELES — As Los Angeles County was in the midst of battling several major wildfires on Thursday, an evacuation warning alert was erroneously sent to all 10 million of its residents. The warning was only intended for people near the Kenneth Fire and sparked panic among people who were miles away from the fire zones, including residents in Long Beach and San Pedro.
The emergency alert read:
“NEW: This is an emergency message from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. An EVACUATION WARNING has been issued in your area. Remain vigilant of any threats and be ready to evacuate. Gather loved ones, pets, and supplies. Continue to monitor local weather, news, and the webpage alertla.org for more information.”
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Not only was the alert sent in error, but the web page cited in the notification was inaccessible, probably due to so many Angelinos clicking on the site to get more information about the situation.
Local officials quickly notified local television and radio news stations that the evacuation warning alert was sent in error. Additionally, about 20 minutes later, some residents received a follow-up text message telling them to disregard the alert.
After the original false notification, similar false alerts were sent again later that evening and on Friday in what county officials describe as “echoes of the original erroneous alert.”
False Evacuation Warnings Being Investigated by Officials, Vendor
County officials and Los Angeles County’s emergency alert technology provider, Genasys, are investigating the mishaps. Genasys officials say they haven’t been able to replicate the error but have “added safeguards into the software to ensure it doesn’t happen again,” reports CBS News.
LA County Office of Emergency Management Director Kevin McGowan said, “This is not human driven. There is no one sitting at a desk right now initiating emergency alerts,” reports ABC7news.
According to a statement from the county, “Our preliminary assessment is that these recurring erroneous notifications are due to issues with telecommunications systems, likely due to the fires’ impacts on cellular towers. We are working actively with FEMA and industry partners to identify and resolve these issues.”
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Despite the errors, officials urged residents to not disregard the notifications and to sign up immediately for Alert LA County notifications, which enable residents to receive notifications via landline, text or email.
This Isn’t the First Time Alerts Have Been Sent in Error
Last week’s emergency notification error is reminiscent of an incident that happened seven years ago in Hawaii when more than a million mobile phones in the state received a false emergency notification that warned citizens about an imminent missile attack.
In the months before the 2018 erroneous notification was sent, tensions between then-President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un were at an all-time high. North Korea was expanding its nuclear missile program, and public comments between the two nations’ top leaders were becoming more and more bellicose. Many Americans were fearful that a nuclear war would erupt.
Although there was no incoming missile and state officials canceled the alert only six minutes later, it took them nearly 38 minutes to send a new mobile phone message informing the public that the first notification was issued in error. Between the time when the initial cellphone alert was sent and the correction was issued, people throughout the state were scrambling for cover, fearing a nuclear attack was just about to happen. Honolulu’s 911 system received 5,500 calls.
It turns out that the 2018 false alert in Hawaii was due in part to human error, a vague checklist that could be misinterpreted, and the fact that a second person wasn’t required to sign off on all emergency notifications being sent.