Accidental wildfire alerts prompt probe from Congress
1 min read
Summary
In January, 10 million people in Los Angeles received an erroneous emergency alert saying that evacuation alerts had been issued in their area, despite the alert only being sent to those in areas at high risk of further blazes.
Local, federal and software companies have been called to answer by Californian house representatives why the false alert was sent, with the alert causing confusion during the devastating wildfires and interrupting the public’s trust in alerts.
Initial findings from a review by FEMA suggest that the alert was likely sent out across the county following infrastructure issues, with cancelled or expired alerts being resent.
The FCC and Genasys, the software company that sent out the alert, have been asked to respond to the letter by 2 April.