[EAS] Suffolk Co, NY EAS mishap

[Adrienne Abbott]

Wildland fires can be an immediate threat. These fires move very quickly--at
the speed of the wind and sometimes faster, especially if the fire is
burning uphill and pre-heats the vegetation as it moves uphill. But again,
you have the same situation of trying to warn residents in a specific area
without causing panic on the other side of the county. 

San Bernardino is the largest county in the country. Evacuation notices were
issued for several suburban communities when the Blue Cut Fire broke out in
the El Cajon Pass area, about halfway between the Pacific Ocean and the
Nevada border, but the information went out through media notices, Social
Media, telephone notifications, freeway signs and even door-to-door calls by
firefighters and law enforcement. Not everyone left. A major freeway and
other roadways were closed by the fire, the smoke and the need to move heavy
equipment to the scene. The fire was visible all the way to LA, halfway
across the state. To the best of my knowledge, there were no EAS activations
for the evacuation notices, although ultimately, more than 82,000 people
were affected by the notices to evacuate their homes. 

Maybe Southern California residents are more radio/TV and tech savvy than
vacationers on Fire Island. If communications are that poor, maybe officials
should consider something like sirens on the beach which at least would get
people's attention. The issue that really is of concern is that as a result
of the negative publicity and problems from the EAS activation, will
officials in Suffolk County and elsewhere be less inclined to use EAS again,
no matter what the situation?   

Adrienne Abbott
Nevada EAS Chair
NVBA  ABIP  Inspector

...fires are a definite maybe since once they start are no surprise.