False Red Cross Alert Tells Residents To Leave South OC Towns

Residents of south Orange County got a bit of a scare from the Red Cross App Wednesday that told them to evacuate immediately. Shortly after, Laguna Beach Police Department emergency management officer Jordan Villwock received "a wave of calls" from concerned citizens wondering if they should flee their homes. He informed them that there was "no danger" to their area. Evacuations were happening less than 50 miles away in another county, due to the Holy Fire.

"We immediately contacted the Red Cross who disengaged that portion of their app," Villwock told Patch.

Residents of Laguna Beach were not alone in receiving the evacuation alert. Many south Orange County cities received similar reports from the Red Cross. Though Patch reached out to Orange County Red Cross asking what caused the glitch, no statement has yet been received.

How and what sort of emergency alerts to sign up for can be confusing, he said. An Orange County resident's best bet is to create an account through the "Alert OC" program. It's a simple online application where a homeowner enters their name and preferred form of contact and address. By signing up, you will be notified of real danger in your immediate area, no matter where you are or what sort of device you would like to be notified on.

How is this different than reverse 911? In Laguna Beach, there are 32,000 phone numbers for the "reverse 911" feature, which might not always help you in case of an emergency, according to Villwock. "Emergencies don't always happen while you're at home," he reminded.

In June, during the Aliso Fire, Alert OC was used to target a specific evacuation management zone for those near Top of the World. Since that fire, almost 700 residents have signed up to Alert OC. Still, that doesn't account for every resident, he said. The simple process can reach one household through multiple points of contact, something that reverse 911 cannot accomplish.

A resident could be notified through phone call, text, email or all of the above. Regardless of type of emergency, according to Villwock, it's the responsible thing for residents to do as part of their emergency planning.

Based upon a review of the Red Cross Emergency app, alerts set for a 20 mile radius can actually pull greater than 50 miles.

"The Red Cross App can tell you where to donate blood, and also delivers push features for evacuation alerts," he told Patch. "If you want to be informed about emergencies where you live, Alert OC is designed to protect you where you live."

For more information, sign up with Alert OC at: www.AlertOC.gov

Laguna Beach Police Photo