Latest news with #LAcounty
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
LA County wildfire alert mistakenly sent to millions due to tech glitch
A technological glitch caused an emergency alert to be mistakenly sent to millions of Los Angeles County residents in January rather than only those in the proximity of a wildfire, according to a congressional report. The mistaken alert on Jan. 9 came as residents were on edge two days after fierce winds and deadly wildfires ripped across Los Angeles County hillsides and burned through communities. The alert message was only supposed to go to residents in the San Fernando Valley facing an evacuation warning due to the Kenneth Fire. The report issued Monday by Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of Long Beach found that Los Angeles County officials properly coded the alert to reach the wireless devices of a more limited group of people. But the alert was sent to residents across the county of 10 million people, and without specific geographic information, prompting concern and confusion after two days of devastating wildfires. That's because the coding for the precise location didn't get saved into the IPAWS federal channel for local emergency alerts, which software provider Genasys believed might be due to a network disruption, the report said. 'The initial false alert is believed to be caused by technology issues with third-party technology vendor Genasys,' the report said. The report did not address how emergency alerts were handled in the Eaton and Palisades fires. In the Eaton Fire in Altadena, evacuation orders went out long after houses were reported burning. LA County officials have launched their own independent review, led by a third party, of evacuation policies and the emergency alert system. An initial report released last month said nearly three dozen people who responded to the fires had been interviewed and more interviews were planned. The next report on the review is expected by July 27. In the Palisades fire, residents said they received notification about the blaze on their phones well after they could see it coming and decided on their own to leave, reporting by The Associated Press found. Garcia's report suggested that Los Angeles County officials could use more location-specific language in the text of warnings so residents know where they are intended for, and the need for enhanced training and standardized software to prevent issues like the faulty alert issued in connection with the Kenneth Fire. 'The lessons from the Kenneth Fire should not only inform reforms, but serve as a catalyst to modernize the nation's alerting infrastructure before the next disaster strikes,' the report said.
Fox News
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Mandy Moore slams LA County for 'nonsensical' red tape preventing the city's rebuild after fires
Mandy Moore called out LA County over the "meaningless protocol" preventing communities from rebuilding after fires destroyed thousands of structures in January. The "This is Us" star has found it "impossible" to rebuild her home. "Thanks, LA County for making it as frustrating and impossible to rebuild after the fires as possible," Moore wrote in an Instagram story on May 6, according to Us Weekly. "Shouldn't be surprised but it's mind boggling the red tape and hoops they're putting us all through." "It's maddening and heartless … the endless hoops and meaningless protocol LA County is asking of fire victims who want to rebuild and get their lives back," she added. "Wasn't California going to make this as easy as possible?" The actress had more to say on May 8, writing, "6 permits issued in Altadena. 10,000 structures burned down. The pace is glacial. The nonsensical red tape they have in place that prevents those of that are ready to rebuild is just mind boggling." "And I say this as someone with privilege: we have insurance, plans, a contractor, etc… everyone deserves an advocate and a system that is streamlined and supports success. People want to get the ball rolling and start to piece their lives back together. "We JUST finished building one of the structures that burned down [this past] November. We have all the plans and permits ready to go and we were just told we have to resubmit everything and start over," she explained. "For no reason. LA County should want success stories right now but instead, they're focused on antiquated protocol. This is why people are leaving California in droves. They make it impossible." Moore's Altadena home was partially salvaged after the January fires. "Miraculously, the main part of our house is still standing. For now. It's not livable but mostly intact," the "Tangled" star shared on Jan. 9. "We lost Taylor and Griffin's studio with every instrument and piece of equipment they've ever owned," she added. "We lost our garage and back house. Everyone we know lost everything. Every house on our street is gone." At the time, Moore admitted that she was feeling "weird survivor's guilt" following the LA fires. "We love this community and will do everything we can to help rebuild and support. Thanks for everyone for checking on us and offering us help. Altadena strong." While their home didn't fully burn down, Moore found out in February that the contents inside were "a near-total loss" due to the proximity of the fires.
