Report Urges Reform After L.A. Wildfire Alert Failure

A congressional report led by Rep. Robert Garcia found that a software failure by Genasys Inc. caused erroneous wildfire evacuation alerts in Los Angeles County in January, sending warnings to nearly 10 million people instead of only targeted neighborhoods. The error resulted from a missing 'evacuation area polygon' in the federal alert system, and was compounded by vague alert wording and inadequate oversight. Although the software glitch has since been fixed, the incident eroded public trust and exposed vulnerabilities in privatized emergency notification systems. The report calls for increased federal funding, stricter oversight, and modernization of the emergency alert system. Recommendations include raising federal standards, ensuring clearer alerts, and strengthening system safeguards. Lawmakers are pushing for urgent reforms to better protect the public during natural disasters.