'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAb/xAAVAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAv/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAjpMX/8QAHxABAAIBAwUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDBAAFBgcREyJB/9oACAEBAAE/ALupHIMbaK9tlnRtHyWN7RCNgPwTVvPs9tmxyssFex66/8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH/2gAIAQIBAT8Aj//EABYRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAv/aAAgBAwEBPwDS3//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
LA County residents faced massive panic after mistakenly receiving evacuation alerts twice amid the raging wildfires. Addressing the confusion in a press conference on Friday, January 10, 2025, LA County Office of Emergency Management Director Kevin McGowan stated:
"I can't express enough how sorry I am for this experience. First of all, I want to clarify this is not human-driven. There is no one sitting at a desk right now initiating emergency alerts."
As per KNX News on January 10, the first incident occurred on Thursday afternoon and the second on Friday morning. Despite being corrected immediately, the alerts caused mass panic and confusion for the residents.
As clips of the apology went viral, internet users were quick to react, with many also noticing the American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter's animated expressions. One commented:
"The ASL interpreter is going OFF."
Many continued to comment on the ASL interpreter's expressions. Here are some reactions seen under @PopCrave's post on X:
"I feel like the man speaking no words next to him is apologising HARDER," one wrote.
"Bruh, what’s up with the signer? He looks way too happy," a person remarked.
"That must have been so unsettling for residents! How will they improve communication moving forward?" another questioned.
Others noted that the experience must have been "horrifying" for the LA County residents.
"That must've scared so much people. glad they apologized," a user commented.
"That would be horrifying. They’re botching this so bad," another added.
"What else could go wrong," one reacted.
"Alert tools have saved lives during this emergency": McGowan urges LA County residents not to disable alerts
Los Angeles and its neighboring cities have been engulfed in flames since Tuesday, January 7. What started as a bushfire in the Pacific Palisades spread to the Eaton, Sunset, Hurst, and Woodley areas by Wednesday. The disaster was fueled by high winds (80-100 mph), and responders continue to battle the fires.
On Thursday afternoon, millions of LA County residents received a mistaken evacuation warning on their cell phones from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. However, within fifteen minutes, another message was sent to disregard the alert.
According to MSN on January 10, LA County Office of Emergency Management Director Kevin McGowan stated that due to a system error, the warning that was initiated for the correct area was instead sent to the whole county.
Furthermore, a second incident occurred on Friday morning.
"We have every technical specialist working to resolve this issue and find out the root cause," McGowan explained in the press conference.
For the unversed, according to the FCC website, the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) is a public safety system allowing authorized officials (either national, state, or local) to send text-like warnings in a specific geographic area. If a person's phone is WEA-compatible then they will receive the alerts.
Despite the confusion and panic, McGowan urged LA County residents not to disable WEA messages as it can save lives. He added:
"I implore everyone to not disable the message on your phone. This is extremely frustrating and painful and scary, but these alert tools have saved lives during this emergency. Not receiving an alert can be a consequence of life and death."
On Thursday, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, in a statement, explained that the cause of fires remains under active investigation. According to CNN, around 10,000 structures have been burned down, and over 100,000 remain under evacuation orders.
Furthermore, USA Today reported that the current burnt area covers more than 38,000 acres. Reports suggest at least eleven have lost their lives in the disaster, and that winds are set to pick up this weekend.
