Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP / Getty Images
A Glendale “public safety alert” that was sent this Saturday to cell phones and other mobile devices in Los Angeles County Angeles was part of a drill, reported the authorities.
Shortly after 9 o’clock: 00 am, the alert sent urged residents of Chevy Chase Canyon to “safely evacuate their residences and proceed to the evacuation site” , at Glendale Community College.
Minutes later, Glendale officials tweeted “THIS IS A DRILL”: #MyGlendale is conducting an evacuation drill in Chevy Chase Canyon”.
THIS IS A DRILL: #MyGlendale is conducting an evacuation exercise in Chevy Chase Canyon. For those who live in the Chevy Chase Canyon : Safely evacuate your home and proceed to the evacuation site located at the Glendale Community College Parking Lot B: https://t.co/zjTZ6CMN6E
— City of Glendale, CA (@MyGlendale ) May 14, 2022
However, residents who were not aware that the drill was going to take place reacted with concern at the first message, and then with perplexity and annoyance at the clarification made by the authorities.
The City of Glendale reported in a message that there was an error in the technology used in sending the public safety alert.
There was an error in the tech used to send out this mornings message. We are working to remedy this issue. Updates to follow.
—City of Glendale, CA (@MyGlendale) May 14, 1161506207
Approximately about 30 minutes after the first alert, a follow-up had been sent asking to ignore the evacuation alert for Chevy Chase Canyon because it was just a training exercise.
Later, the authorities clarified that the alert was not supposed to be distributed on the devices of residents of such a wide area, which was even received by some residents in Orange and Ventura counties.
“Due to a bug in the messaging software, incorrect messages were distributed throughout the County of the Angels. The city is working with our partners to investigate,” the city of Glendale said in a statement.
The drill was scheduled for 8 o’clock: 00 am by the Glendale Fire Department and Chevy Chase Canyon Estates Association.
The authorities said that in Chevy Chase Canyon there are about 1,900 structures and 5,550 residents, and is marked by steep hillsides that require preparation for an evacuation in the event of a fire or some other kind of emergency.
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