LA County has some answers on why 10 million people got false alarms — twice

Fires are raging across Los Angeles, with new ones starting up at any moment's notice.

Angelenos have been glued to their phones for the latest alerts and information.

At around 4 p.m. Thursday, everyone in L.A. County received an alert from the Office of Emergency Management to prepare for evacuation. Then, about 12 hours later, another widespread alert was issued after 4 a.m. and startled many people out of their beds.

When the first error took place, if you tried to click through to the details, you probably could not. Scary. The second one, the click through was related to the Palisades Fire.

Kevin McGowan, who heads L.A. Office of Emergency Management, apologized for the erroneous messages at a Friday morning news conference, saying they were not sent by an individual. He also asked people not to turn off their alerts.

About 8 hours later, the county provided additional information about what went wrong.

County officials said they share "our residents’ anger and frustration about erroneous emergency alerts." And they called the multiple errors a "serious breach of public trust."

OK, but what went wrong?

The investigation, so far

According to county officials, the initial steps to send the alert were done correctly.

"Our preliminary investigation indicates that an accurate, correctly-targeted alert went out from LA County’s Emergency Operations Center at around 4 p.m. on Thursday, January 9," they said in an email that went out shortly after 5 p.m. Friday.

From there, however, "the alert was erroneously sent out to nearly 10 million residents across the County."

The vendor, Genasys, is now testing to determine why the alert didn't just go to phones within the geo-targeted area and the company has added safeguards, according to the email.

Immediate steps

L.A. County is switching "all local emergency notifications to the CalOES alert system until we have assurances that this problem will not be repeated."

They also looking into what they are calling "echoes" of the first wrong alert, which they say have continued to go out. (If you've gotten a random evacuation alert outside of the main two, that's what they're talking about.)

They're not understating it when they say these alerts are "alarming residents already facing the horrifying effects of destructive wildfires that are still burning."

"Our preliminary assessment is that these recurring erroneous notifications are due to issues with telecommunications systems, likely due to the fires’ impacts on cellular towers," they said. "We are working actively with FEMA and industry partners to identify and resolve these issues."

They also asking people not to delete the app urging those who have not yet done so, to sign up for them.

The first false alarm

It went to phones in Torrance, Rancho Palos Verdes, Long Beach, and even Catalina Island. And apparently, in Newport Beach.

One of our colleagues was walking in downtown Los Angeles and reports everyone's phones started screaming at the same time. It was surreal.

Amid the general hellscape reality we've been living, it was also quite frightening.

Minutes later, another alert was sent to correct the mistake, saying the original message was meant for those in West Hills, for the new Kenneth Fire. It was just as loud and jarring.

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Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said via X that the notice was "sent in error by the Los Angeles County Fire Department."

The second false alarm

This time, no screaming follow up message. It was 4:24 a.m. after all. L.A. County officials issued a notification nearly three hours later acknowledged the error, saying they were working with FEMA "to investigate the issue."

And they pointed folks to maps at AlertLA.org to fact check the current status. [Note: at 7:30 a.m. no map was rendering on that page.]

Some other places to check:

• CalFire
• WatchDuty app

Some perspective

We just want to say: These kind of things happen. Although twice now feels like a lot.

That said, the region is dealing with unprecedented circumstances of unrelenting winds, many fires, and people who are doing their best to keep us safe and informed. Being fast can save lives — although maybe a tiny pause could have prevented millions of moments of panic.

And we ask you to consider this, for comparison. It's not like an alert was sent warning people to seek shelter from an incoming ballistic missile or anything.

That happened in Hawaii in 2018.

Robert Garrova contributed to this report.

Fire resources and tips

If you have to evacuate

• Cheat sheet: Your very short guide to getting packed up right now to evacuate
• Cheat sheet: A very short guide for how to leave your house if you need to evacuate

If you have more time:

• Every day is now fire season. Let's get you ready for the next wildfire burning near you

Things to consider

• Evacuation terms can be confusing. Here’s what they mean and how to sign up for alerts
• This is why fire officials don't want you to stay and defend your home

Navigating fire conditions

• Cheat sheet: Your very short guide to driving in high winds and fire danger
• High winds and fires mean power outages. Here's how to prep

How to help yourself and others

• Resources for SoCal fire victims, evacuees and first responders
• What to do — and not do — when you get home after a wildfire
• If you want to help fire victims, resist the urge to volunteer

Understanding how it got this bad

• Yes, wildfires are getting worse. The history that got us to this moment