Evacuation alert shows limits of cellphone warning system
As fire was billowing through residential neighborhoods in Lahaina on Aug. 8, emergency managers for Maui County sent out an evacuation alert that would blare on the cellphones of anyone near the blaze.
“Evacuate your family and pets now, do not delay,” the warning said.
But many people most in need of the alert said the message never reached their phones, leaving them scrambling for safety as the fire began roaring toward their homes. More than 100 people died in the inferno, and some survivors wondered why they had not been notified earlier that the situation was out of control.
