Glitch in Emergency Alert System Sends False Evacuation Notice on Sunday Morning — UPDATE

At 9:45 AM on Sunday, July 26, a glitch in the local emergency alert system sent out a false evacuation notice for the fires burning south of Big Pine. Inyo County emergency services including the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Manager are aware of the issue, and county staff is working on it.

Another system error sent a similar false evacuation order throughout Inyo County around 8:00 PM on Friday, July 24.

Visit https://ready.inyocounty.us/pages/rock-cinder and https://protect.genasys.com for up-to-date evacuation information.

UPDATE:

From newly elected Big Pine Paiute Tribe Chairperson Yolanda Cortez:

Many of you have received the evacuation warning notification this morning. This is not a change in status. Once an area is on notice to evacuate or to prepare to evacuate they are required to re-broadcast the same status every day. This is in case someone has moved into the area that wasn’t already here overnight.

We are still in the warning phase. Which is just prepare to evacuate. Part of the reason we remain in the warning phase is not so much due to the fire, but because of the amount of equipment as needed in the area to continue to fight the fire. We continue to monitor the fire progress daily and will provide updates as needed. We are so grateful for the firefighters and all the agencies out there keeping our community safe.

From Inyo County Sheriff’s Office, 10:43 AM:

Why Am I Receiving Repeated EVACUATION Alerts?

The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) is the national emergency alert system used by public safety agencies to send Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) to cell phones. IPAWS alerts automatically expire after 24 hours.

As long as EVACUATION ORDERS or EVACUATION WARNINGS remain in effect, they must be reissued every 24 hours to ensure anyone entering or traveling through affected areas receives current emergency information.

We are aware these periodic alerts are being received by multiple residents, including some outside the immediate affected areas.

Wireless Emergency Alerts are sent based on cell tower coverage areas, which may extend beyond exact evacuation boundaries.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

For the most up-to-date information, please visit: https://ready.inyocounty.us/pages/rock-cinder

Genasys

https://protect.genasys.com/en/map/37.163122,-118.289512…

News Staff