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Emergency alert on TV mistakenly orders full evacuation of Long Island due to Hermine
 [SILIVE] Federal officials in New York are investigating an emergency alert system after a mistakenly truncated message about storm system Hermine wrongly advised TV watchers on Long Island of an ordered evacuation, authorities said Sunday.The Saturday night confusion started after Suffolk County emergency officials used an aspect of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's alert system for the first time since gaining access to it after Superstorm Sandy. They had hoped to advise viewers that a voluntary evacuation had been ordered for Fire Island, a thin strip of land off of Long Island's southern shore and a popular summertime destination. Instead, somehow only the first part of the message -- that an evacuation order had been issued -- was broadcast to viewers. That the order was voluntary and only applied to those on Fire Island didn't make it onto TV screens. "It caused obvious and expected questioning," said Gregory Miniutto, chief of communication for Suffolk County's Department of Fire Rescue. Lauren Lefebvre, a spokeswoman for the FEMA region that covers New York, said officials are investigating what caused the message to be shortened. Posted by: Fred 2016-09-06 |
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