[EAS] Sufolk Co, NY EAS mishap

[Mike McCarthy]

This situation is probably the best example yet of how the present FIPS
system of county geographic boundaries is ill-suited to handle localized
emergency situations. Do I have a solution...? Other than to say the EAS
system which has it's yet to be implemented 9 county subdivisions
bit....no. It is a hog's bog to come up with a specification with the
ability to adapt around highly localized boundaries...be they (highly
coveted and at times controversial) political or geologic. But this event
crystallizes the need to do so.

According to this morning's Inside Radio, it appears the local cable TV
system sent a half length message which didn't include the Fire Island
specification. And WEA's text limit prevented the same narrowed area 
specification. All that came from both relay systems was an entire county
EVI. LI's LP-1 WALK-FM did receive and send the whole message with the
Fire Island only specification....multiple times...in an attempt to
eliminate the confusion.  There is a firestorm of local controversy on
this situation as can be imagined.

Unlike Robert's characterization that an immediate threat wasn't evident,
this is the precise application of EAS. Particularly as applied to an area
with limited communications along with access and egress requiring an
extended period of time to complete an evacuation. This was a
call-to-action message which to me fits the specific intent and mission of
EAS. More over, as the WALK station owner commented, he was sitting
relaxed in his back yard enjoying a beer and under a clear blue sky.
Certainly, I would want to be warned of a pending hazard placing my life
and my family's in peril where no other obvious signs are present. Think
tsunami or flash flood as short fuse examples.

Now the mission is to find out what really happened, define errors made,
system limitations, effect corrections, and we all learn from them. This
event while only a lower level event in the end could have been much
worse...geographic confusion not withstanding. Better to experience such
now than when a much bigger threat looms.

Of note...impact to Fire Island could yet occur should the storm drift
farther north before moving out into the open Atlantic later this week. So
far the models have handled it's localized movements after exiting North
Carolina rather inconsistently...at best. However, the EAS doorbell has
been rung and that tool is now off the table now more so as a known foible
than anything else. Something locals there will need to deal with for
years to come.

MM

On Tue, September 6, 2016 6:01 pm, Ed Czarnecki wrote:
> Thanks John, this is exactly what I was referring to.  The messages appear
in reverse order below:  The attempted "clarification" has the standard EAS
EVI message, and the initial voluntary evacuation notice has the same EAS
EVI header.  The clarification only compounded the error.

From: Crosby, John