Rep. Robert Garcia is leading an investigation into Los Angeles County’s false evacuation alerts that went out to 10 million residents across the county during the wildfires, causing alarm and confusion, as well as other issues with the system.
Garcia, D-Long Beach, along with 13 members of Congress who represent impacted areas, sent letters on Monday, Feb. 3, to Genasys, Inc. – the software company used by the county for issuing wireless emergency alerts – Los Angeles County, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Federal Communications Commission.
They sought answers for the faulty warnings by no later than April 1.
“This was a huge failure, and I think that this is a way of protecting the public,” Garcia said. “We’re going to have more emergencies in the future, so we have to protect the public.”
Some people reported receiving delayed evacuation warnings, others received the same message multiple times, and millions received unnecessary warnings causing widespread alarm and reducing the potential impact of future alerts, officials said.
Beyond the confusion, others, in the Altadena area, did not receive warnings quickly enough. Seventeen people died in western Altadena, where residents said the alerts came late or not at all.
“Because FEMA is operated by the federal government, and the FCC works on the communication side that gets the alerts to folks, we have a responsibility with LA County to get to the bottom of this and find out what went wrong,” Garcia said in a phone interview on Monday.
On Jan. 9, just before 4 p.m. — two days after the Palisades and Eaton fires broke out — people across the county received cell phone alerts ordering them to evacuate, even in areas unaffected by the ongoing fires – such as in Long Beach.
Fifteen minutes later, another alert was sent out by the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management asking residents to disregard the previous one, as it was only intended for the Kenneth fire, which erupted near West Hills bordering Los Angeles and Ventura counties earlier in the afternoon.
The county, in a statement posted on X, said it was aware of the mistaken alerts and working with FEMA to investigate. The county also apologized and asked that people use AlertLA.org to see the latest warnings.
“As Members of Congress representing Los Angeles County, we write regarding erroneous emergency alerts issued during the recent deadly wildfires,” an excerpt of the letters says.
“In life-safety emergencies, appropriately timed, targeted, and clear emergency alert messages can mean the difference between life and death,” the letters add. “However, unclear messages sent to the wrong locations, multiple times and after the emergency has passed, can lead to alerting fatigue and erosion of public trust. In this time of intense grief, loss, and dislocation, we are working to learn all of the lessons of the past weeks, and to swiftly implement reforms to ensure they never happen again.”
In the letter addressed to Richard Danforth, CEO of Genasys, representatives asked the company to provide information about the communication tools used for the county’s EVAC and ALERT systems, proper operating procedures to be followed for utilizing the systems, status on the investigation into the cause of the alert message being sent beyond its intended targeting, among other questions.
The letter addressed to the county also asks similar questions, as well as how it utilizes Genasys to provide protective communication tools and to describe actions taken by both the county and the company in the days after the false alarm. It also asks the county if it will continue to use Genasys for its emergency alert targeting or mass messaging in the future.
In a statement on X, a company statement said Genasys was working with Los Angeles County to identify why the Jan. 9 warning was sent beyond its “intended geography.”
“While we have been unable to replicate this issue, we have added additional safeguards into the software intended to ensure this cannot happen,” according to the statement.
At the time, L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger expressed deep frustration at the false alerts, saying they caused fear and anger among community members scared that their neighborhood is facing an impending evacuation.
“They are on pins and needles thinking they are next,” Barger said at press conference the week they went out.
She didn’t understand why, despite the technical challenges, the false alerts couldn’t be stopped:
“My question is, ‘Why can’t we turn it off? The answers we are getting are not satisfying,” she said. “Don’t think we are taking this lightly.”
Kevin McGowan, director of the county’s Office of Emergency Services, said the messages were not administered by a person, and said every technological specialist was working to resolve the issue.
“This is extremely frustrating, painful and scary, but these tools have saved lives during emergencies. Not receiving an alert can be a consequence of life and death,” he said at the time.
The Coordinated Joint Information Center, which coordinates the release of public information for the county, said it will provide a response by the deadline as requested.
“The Board of Supervisors has voted for a review specifically related to both evacuations and emergency notifications conducted by an independent third party,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement on Monday. “Report backs will be due to the board every 90 days and will be shared with the public. The Office of Emergency Management, County Fire Department and Sheriff’s Department are committed to prioritizing and fully engaging in that process.”
Representatives are asking FEMA and the FCC to provide best practices for public alert and warning systems that are necessary to maintain the integrity of those systems and the status of the joint investigation between Los Angeles County and federal agencies into WEA alert messages sent following the cancellation and “echoes” continuing to transmit to phones across LA County.
“There are going to be future emergencies,” Garcia said. “I’m just hopeful that we can fix the system so that we prevent tragedy in the future.”