A ‘dangerously unacceptable breakdown’ led to errant or delayed evacuation warnings in LA. The rest of the US isn’t immune
CNN
Myriad problems have plagued Los Angeles County’s alert system as wildfires torch America’s most populous county. But the fiascos highlight vulnerabilities nationwide.
If you work in one part of town and live in another, you might not get an evacuation warning if your home is in the path of disaster. If you do get an evacuation alert, the message might not tell you the location. And if cell towers get knocked offline by the disaster, you might not get any warnings until hours after they’re sent. Myriad problems have plagued Los Angeles County’s alert system as wildfires keep torching America’s most populous county. While officials sort out the debacles, the state has temporarily taken over emergency warnings for the county of 10 million people. The fiascos highlight vulnerabilities not just in Southern California, but nationwide. “This is a concern that people should have all over the country – be you in earthquake country or fire country or floods or hurricanes,” said former Los Angeles city controller Ron Galperin, who audited the city’s emergency alert system twice in the past decade.
Elon Musk and his allies have spent the last two weeks barreling full speed into multiple government agencies, causing confusion and chaos and raising questions about whether an unelected businessman can wield this kind of authority, seemingly running roughshod over laws and programs set up by Congress.