--- title: "Accidental Emergency Broadcast Says Everyone in Los Angeles Should Evacuate" description: "Police in LA issued an emergency evacuation order for the whole city amid Wednesday wildfires — and it really freaked out those who saw it." date: "2022-09-01" modified: "2022-09-01" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/emergency-evacuation-alert-accident-los-angeles" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "emergency alerts" - "los angeles" - "the digest" - "wildfires" --- # Accidental Emergency Broadcast Says Everyone in Los Angeles Should Evacuate ![Police in LA issued an emergency evacuation order for the whole city amid Wednesday wildfires — and it really freaked out those who saw it.]() *\Image: Futurism\* ## Pointing Fingers Police in the Los Angeles area accidentally broadcast an emergency evacuation order for the whole city — and it really freaked out those who saw it. As [*Bloomberg* reports](), local stations in Ventura County erroneously broadcast a scary-looking evacuation alert Wednesday night after a [brushfire broke out near the city of angels](). But the alert vastly overstated the danger, telling the whole city of LA and several additional areas to evacuate. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department also tweeted out the alert in English and Spanish, the report notes, before it issued a retraction that blamed its LA County counterparts for the erroneous message. "The evacuation notice that was received by some Ventura County Residents on television was sent in error by the County of Los Angeles," [the VCSO tweet reads](). "There is no threat to Ventura County at this time and no need for residents to evacuate." https://twitter.com/Green_Footballs/status/1565137459956039680?s=20&t=o7UePv4H_73dFT5b8wfz5g ## Absolutely No Prior to the retraction, folks in LA were understandably freaked out. Some even compared it to a similar incident that [happened in Hawaii in 2018]() — except in that case, it was a nuclear warning. "I missed this until this morning," [one user tweeted](). "Did LA County tell Hawaii, 'Hold my beer?' Oops." Another user who saw the alert was a bit more graphic. "Uhh did anyone in LA get an evacuation notice??" [they tweeted](). "Kinda shitting my pants \[right now\]." It remains unclear whether the alert was a drill or a simple fat finger mistake, or whether it's related to the LA region wildfires currently roiling near freeways in the northern part of the city. But one thing's for certain — [some people were ready]() to recreate "[Escape from LA]()." **READ MORE:** [Evacuation Order Telling Residents to Leave Los Angeles Is Broadcast on TV in Error]() \[*Bloomberg*\] **More scary alerts:** *[NYC Issues PSA on How To Survive Nuclear Attack]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()