Many families panicked and packed their belongings to evacuate, before being informed of the wrong evacuation order, amid the terrible wildfires in the US.
NBC News reported on January 10 that countless people were panicked and scared after receiving an evacuation warning to avoid the terrible wildfire raging in the Los Angeles area (California), before realizing that it was a false warning.
“An evacuation warning has been issued in your area,” read the initial loud audio alert sent to about 9.3 million mobile phones.
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Resident Thomas Jenkins said he was calling his family to report his condition when the alert came through. "I immediately jumped up and started packing everything even though I live downtown," he told the New York Post.
"I continued until I heard about the false alarm. It was irresponsible, annoying and caused unnecessary panic," Mr. Jenkins said.
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Another resident said many people were in a state of panic. "My poor upstairs neighbor was in a state of panic and left in a panic," he said.
Page Six reporter Bernie Zilio, who lives with his husband and children in the city of Angels, said the false alarm was "beyond negligent."
“I immediately started packing my bag, which had been sitting by the door for the past two days, while my husband continued to watch the news. The anchor’s phone rang at the same time as ours, and people live in different places, so their first reaction was to question whether the warning was valid,” she said.
Minutes later, a second alert was sent, urging people to ignore the initial message and clarifying that the evacuation warning was only for people living near the Kenneth Fire that had broken out on the afternoon of January 9 (local time).
“This warning is only for residents of Calabasas and Agoura Hills, and those in the West Hills community of Los Angeles,” said Kevin McGowan, director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management.
He admitted it had been sent to nearly 10 million people by mistake. “We understand that these bushfires have caused great anxiety, hardship and distress to people, and we are committed to sharing accurate information,” he said.
At least 180,000 people have been forced to evacuate due to the fires in California. At least seven people have died, according to Reuters, although authorities said the total was not yet known.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/gan-10-trieu-nguoi-bi-canh-bao-so-tan-nham-giua-chay-rung-kinh-hoang-o-my-185250110115720671.htm
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