Accidental emergency alerts sent by computer, not “human driven”
Director Kevin McGowan of the LA County Office of Emergency Management addressed the issue of the accidental emergency alerts sent to all LA County residents.
LOS ANGELES – The top emergency official for Los Angeles County says he “can’t express how saddened” he is that residents are getting it all the time false or incorrect emergency alarms on their phones as forest fires are raging out of control.
LA County Emergency Management Director Kevin McGowan opened Friday morning’s fire update news conference with an apology, insisting that a fake technical problem was to blame.
“There is an extreme amount of frustration, anger, fear regarding the erroneous messages that have been sent out through the wireless emergency alert system across LA County,” he offered. “I cannot express enough how sorry I am for this experience.”
What we know:
False emergency alerts were sent out Thursday afternoon and early Friday, falsely alerting recipients that an evacuation alert had been issued for their area.
It took the county 22 minutes to send out a correction, leaving nervous residents in limbo as they tried to figure out if the warning was accurate.
Another false alarm with identical warning text was issued early Friday morning.
Emergency alerts sent to millions by mistake
Local emergency officials said the alert was intended only for residents near the Kenneth Fire that broke out Thursday afternoon near West Hills.
What we don’t know:
It is not clear why the warnings are going out to the wrong places. McGowan said it’s “nobody sitting at a desk” sending out bad alerts, instead blaming the technology layers of the system.
But he did not go into details about that system or any safeguards that might be in place to prevent such problems, adding only that his team was working with FEMA experts to resolve the issue. When pressed by FOX 11’s Bob DeCastro, McGowan tried to explain the sequence by which an alert is sent, but didn’t provide much clarity on the issue.
More explanation about the false emergency alerts
LA County Emergency Management Director Kevin McGowan answers a FOX 11 question about the warning system, prompting a frustrated response from LA County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Kathryn Barger.
McGowan also blamed “bleedover” between cell towers for inaccurate geographical coverage and said they were working to improve it.
What they say:
“I want to express my deep frustration with the warning system that is causing confusion and further panic for our communities at this time of extreme crisis. Whatever the reason, it is unacceptable and it is now being addressed by the county’s emergency services. As Director McGowan described, we will investigate what happened, how and why, at every level of our exhaustive follow-up process to ensure it is corrected.” – LA County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath
California Fire’s latest
The background story:
Several fires are burning out of control across Southern California, fueled by unusually dry conditions and high winds. As of Friday morning, the five major fires had consumed 35,999 acres and over 10,000 structures.
At least five people have been killed but officials expect the toll to grow, and evacuation orders are in place for thousands of people.
40% of palisades leveled by firestorm
Approximately 40% of the Pacific Palisades community was destroyed in the deadly firestorm.
The biggest fire, the Palisade’s fireis only 8% contained after raging over 20,000 acres and devastating entire neighborhoods.
The Eaton Fire is 3% contained and has burned nearly 14,000 hectares. A no-drinking order is in place for Pasadena residents in the area of that fire.
What you can do:
Officials are insisting that residents in and around the fire zones remain ready to evacuate if word comes, and not disable emergency alert messages on their phones.
FAMILY: What to do before evacuating during the California wildfires
If you receive a warning, you should verify the evacuation warning using the maps posted on Cal Fire websitethe Alert LA websiteor by dialing 201.
The mapping is accurate even if the warnings may not be, McGowan said.
“I am asking everyone not to disable notifications on your phone. This is extremely frustrating, painful and scary,” he added. “But these warning tools have saved lives during this emergency. Not getting a warning can be a life-and-death consequence.”
Source: The information in this story came from Friday morning’s emergency press briefing, along with background from previous FOX 11 reporting and fire updates from Cal Fire.
