City officials blame “human error” for widespread emergency notification mishap.
Phones across Los Angeles buzzed and blared just before 4 p.m. Thursday, delivering an alarming evacuation warning that turned out to be a mistake. The city’s Emergency Management Department quickly clarified that the alert had been sent in error, emphasizing in a statement on X, “Evacuation orders have not changed.”
The errant alert was distributed broadly, reaching residents across the metropolitan area, from Long Beach to Echo Park, regardless of their proximity to any active fire zones. The message, attributed to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, stated: “This is an emergency message from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. An EVACUATION WARNING has been issued in your area.”
The alerts directed recipients to alertla.org, a site meant to provide more details. However, the sudden surge in traffic caused the site to crash, compounding frustrations. Meanwhile, the city of Santa Monica issued its own statement on X to reassure residents that the evacuation warning did not apply to their area.
City officials have since attributed the widespread alert to human error but have yet to elaborate on how such a significant mistake occurred.
