With 13 people already confirmed dead as fires continue to burn through the area, Sonoma County officials are facing questions as to why a Wireless Emergency Alert wasn’t sent out to residents, warning them of the impending risks, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. This Wireless Emergency Alert, similar to an Amber Alert and typically broadcast over large geographic areas, was discussed by Sonoma County Fire and Emergency Services Department officials. However, as it was thought that the warning would have reached thousands of people not in areas considered under threat, officials declined to authorize it, fearing it would cause widespread panic, and interfere with first responder efforts.
Observed Sonoma County Fire and Emergency Services Coordinator Zachary Hamill, “If I had done the Wireless Emergency Alert I would have been notifying Petaluma, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol, Sonoma — all of the cities and unincorporated areas in the county. And I didn’t need to do that, I needed to focus on who specifically needed help.” Spokeswoman for Sonoma County Jennifer Larocque also noted the potential downside of such a wide scale alert, “Providing mass information to people not affected could have caused mass traffic backups, which could have impacted emergency service providers and delayed emergency response.”
Instead of the alert, officials attempted to contact residents through radio broadcasts, robo-calls, emails, text alerts, and door knocking. Many residents maintained they never received official warning, however, with notification only coming along with the smell of smoke, or the sound of sirens, reported The San Francisco Chronicle.
Source:
http://m.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Sonoma-County-officials-opted-not-to-send-mass-12271773.php
