Los Angeles apologises over fire evacuation false alarms

Automated Warnings Prompt Evacuation Readiness
Millions of mobile phones blared on Thursday afternoon and again on Friday morning with automated warnings urging residents to be prepared to flee.

Emergency Evacuation Message
"This is an emergency message from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. An EVACUATION WARNING has been issued in your area," the message stated, which was widely disseminated on Thursday, even reaching areas far from the danger zones.

Instructions for Residents
"Remain vigilant of any threats and be ready to evacuate. Gather loved ones, pets, and supplies," the alert continued.

Fires Consuming Land and Property
Huge fires in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles and around Altadena have consumed 35,000 acres, destroying thousands of buildings and resulting in 10 fatalities.

Alerts Catch Residents Off Guard
For many Angelenos, the alert system was the first indication of the blazes and the urgent need to escape. Currently, approximately 153,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders across the region.

Correction Issued for Miscommunication
A correction was sent 20 minutes later, clarifying that the alert only applied to the new Kenneth Fire, which was rapidly spreading to the north of the city. However, a similar erroneous message was sent out around 4 am on Friday.

Frustration from Officials
Kevin McGowan, the director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management, acknowledged the automated errors had caused "frustration, anger, and fear."

"I can't express enough how sorry I am," he told reporters, adding that he was working with specialists to determine what went wrong and why so many people received irrelevant messages.

Importance of Alert Systems
McGowan urged everyone not to disable the messages on their phones, emphasizing, "This is extremely frustrating, painful, and scary, but these alert tools have saved lives during these emergencies."

Supervisor's Outrage
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath deemed the error "unacceptable." She expressed her deep frustration with the alert system, which she said was causing confusion and additional panic during an extreme crisis.

Expert Insights on Automated Systems
Chris Sheach, an assistant professor in disaster management at Paul Smith's College, noted that automated warning systems are often susceptible to "kinks and bugs," especially since they are rarely used at scale. However, he emphasized their importance in reducing casualties during disasters.

The Need for Transparency
Sheach suggested that the erroneous alerts were likely due to a coding error that caused warnings to reach unintended recipients. He stressed the importance of transparency from authorities about such mistakes to ensure citizens do not ignore or disable future alerts.

"Millions of these messages go out every year across the country and the globe to communities that are appropriate, safe, and timely," he explained. "Building trust takes extra work, especially after such misses."