Government emergency alert systems are designed with a simple purpose: to provide residents with critical information about nearby hazards and safety instructions, reports AP.

However, as seen in the devastating Los Angeles wildfires and other emergencies, these alerts depend on a complex communication chain involving first responders, government officials, third-party companies, and the public.

At times, this system fails.

When powerful winds ignited wildfires in Southern California on Jan. 7, evacuation orders for certain neighbourhoods—particularly the part of Altadena where most fatalities occurred—were issued long after houses had already caught fire. On Tuesday, Los Angeles County officials authorised an external review of the alert system’s performance during the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire in response to residents’ concerns. City authorities refused to answer AP’s inquiries about delays in some Palisades Fire alerts, though Fire Captain Branden Silverman noted that assessing a fire and determining evacuation protocols can take time.

Progress made on huge fire north of Los Angeles while new fires erupt in Southern California

This problem is increasingly common. After-action reports and investigations have identified failures in alert systems in other major fires: the 2017 Tubbs Fire, which claimed 22 lives in Santa Rosa; the 2018 Camp Fire, which resulted in 85 deaths in Paradise; the Woolsey Fire, which broke out the same day and killed three in Malibu; Colorado’s 2021 Marshall Fire, which destroyed over 1,000 homes near Denver; and Hawaii’s 2023 Lahaina Fire, which devastated the historic town and killed 102 people.

It may take months to determine why some evacuation orders were delayed during the Los Angeles wildfires.

Several residents who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire told The Associated Press they never received any notifications about their area. For others, the first warning came as a frantic text message in the middle of the night.

Susan Lee Streets, who had registered for the Nixle alert app, did not receive any alerts specific to her West Altadena neighbourhood before she and her family evacuated on their own around 10 p.m. after losing power and mobile service.

“If we had been informed that houses and other structures were burning, we would have understood the gravity of the situation,” she said. “We almost went to bed that night with two kids, a dog, and two cats in the house.”

Her phone finally received an alert after 3 a.m. By then, her home—and irreplaceable family heirlooms, including her children’s Christmas ornaments—had been reduced to ashes.

“We lost everything. Absolutely everything,” Streets said, her voice breaking.

Tricia Wachtendorf, director of the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware, emphasised that alerts must be clear and specific. Research has shown that for alerts to be effective, people must hear, understand, believe, personalise, and confirm them before taking action.

“Sending a message at 3 a.m. doesn’t guarantee that someone will hear it,” Wachtendorf said.

The period between midnight and 3:30 a.m. was particularly difficult for first responders in Los Angeles County, according to an AP review of scanner traffic recordings and data from CalFire, FEMA, and the Watch Duty app.

Resources were stretched thin, and hurricane-force winds had grounded aerial firefighting support, making it harder for authorities to assess the fire’s spread from above.

Emergency calls reporting burning homes flooded in as embers ignited rooftops and gardens. During a 30-minute window, firefighters were dispatched to 17 new addresses while some crews ran dangerously low on fuel.

By 12:07 a.m., CalFire records showed that dozens of neighbourhoods east of Altadena’s North Lake Avenue had been ordered to evacuate due to the Eaton Fire. However, no warnings had been issued for the western areas—where all 17 confirmed fatalities occurred—even though house fires had been reported there more than an hour earlier, as first reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Over the next three hours, firefighters shifted from requesting reinforcements for the eastern edge of the fire to urgently notifying command that the flames were spreading west along the foothills near Sunset Ridge.

At 3:30 a.m., evacuation orders were significantly expanded, with residents in 12 Altadena neighbourhoods and beyond told to “leave now.”

Jodi and Jeff Moreno first learned about the fire from a neighbourhood app. The first official warning they received came around 2:30 a.m., when authorities shouted through a bullhorn instructing them to evacuate. They quickly gathered their three daughters, their dog, and essential documents before fleeing.

They received no text alerts until after they had left.

“On the neighbourhood apps, some people were leaving, while others were staying. There was a wide range of responses. We had to figure things out on our own,” Jodi Moreno said. “It was hard to determine exactly where the fire was and where embers were landing… That’s the kind of information we expect from authorities.”

Desperate for updates, both the Morenos and Streets downloaded the Watch Duty app, which consolidates evacuation maps and real-time information from multiple sources. Since launching in 2021, the app has expanded to cover 22 states and became an essential tool for many residents.

“The best warning system is one that actually informs people,” said Nick Russell, vice president of operations at Watch Duty.

Over 50,000 under evacuation orders or warnings as wildfire imperils homes north of Los Angeles

“There is a necessary process in issuing official evacuation warnings, orders, or shelter-in-place instructions,” he added. “But transparency is key—people need to understand why those discussions are happening between law enforcement and fire officials. That’s what we provide.”

The process of issuing evacuation orders begins when firefighters or other personnel on the ground recommend action, Russell explained. The decision then moves up the chain of command until the sheriff’s office officially issues an order.

During major emergencies, communication can be hindered by factors like poor radio signals, wind noise, or technical issues. Incident command centres may struggle to process vast amounts of data from different agencies, making it difficult to grasp the full scope of a disaster like a wildfire.

In Los Angeles County, residents who sign up for emergency alerts through the AlertLACounty website are directed to a list of 57 links to local or city-specific alert systems, along with a general one covering 19 cities. The city of Los Angeles and the Sheriff's Department also operate their own alert services.

It remains unclear how these overlapping systems, which use different software, integrate with each other—or whether officials coordinate their alerts effectively.

A 2024 Hazard Mitigation Plan instructed the city’s Emergency Management Department to identify gaps in alert systems in areas with poor mobile coverage and implement a solution. However, this objective was assigned only a “medium” priority and a long-term timeline, with completion expected within the next decade.

Meanwhile, the county’s Hazard Mitigation Plan—last updated in 2020—did not prioritise emergency alerts or public notifications. Instead, its primary objectives focused on educating residents about how wind increases wildfire risk and improving community wildfire protection efforts.

Officials at the County’s Coordinated Joint Information Center declined to comment, stating only that an independent review of evacuations and emergency notifications is planned. The Office of Emergency Management, County Fire Department, and Sheriff’s Department have committed to fully participating in the review.