The company behind Los Angeles' emergency alert technology said it has added safeguards to prevent further mistakes Forest fire Evacuation alerts are being sent to residents deadly, devastating wildfires,
The first false alert was sent on Thursday. It was meant for people near the Kenneth Fire, but instead it was Sent to all 10 million residents of Los Angeles CountySpark panic. Some residents received a follow-up message asking them to “ignore” the false warning. Other false alerts telling people to evacuate when they weren't supposed to be inside fire zone Later reports were made on Thursday and Friday. City officials said they are investigating the matter and are committed to getting to the bottom of it.
Genesis, the company that provides alert technology to the county, said it “has not been able to replicate this error.” The company also said it had “added safeguards to the software to ensure this does not happen again.”
How do Genesis Emergency Alerts work?
When wildfires erupt, local emergency managers and law enforcement are the ones who send evacuation alerts to the community. Genesis' algorithm creates “alert polygons” that determine who receives the message.
“If you're in Polygon, you'll get an alert,” said Lisa Bernard of Genesis.
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To create those polygons, the algorithm considers things like population density, dangerous areas and how people can get out. Kevin McGowan, director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management, said Friday that the alerts are sent automatically, and emphasized that there is no person sitting at a desk sending the alerts.
“Having those predefined areas really speeds up the process of defining the area that is being evacuated and then communicating that to the public,” Bernard explained.
Those areas can be highly targeted. Sometimes, circumstances may cause the algorithm to alert one side of the road and not the other. It happened Wednesday as the Eaton Fire reached a polygon in the Pasadena area. This may be due to natural fire, such as if there are houses built behind a tree-covered hill on one side of the road and a concrete parking lot on the other.
Los Angeles officials said Friday that different factors, including where the phone is registered, could affect who receives the messages.
Former FEMA administrator and Genesis board member Craig Fugate said he hopes the technology will make evacuations easier and ultimately save lives. The next step will be to assess whether the alert in Los Angeles has given people enough time and information to protect themselves.
