EAST PALO ALTO, Calif. – Officials plan to apologize for erroneously sending a false emergency evacuation alert to about 1,700 residents of a Northern California town that is near the one where a gas pipeline exploded last month.
The automated telephone message sent by the San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services on Sept 9. during the deadly San Bruno gas pipeline explosion was mistakenly sent again late Tuesday afternoon. It urged East Palo Alto residents to evacuate immediately.
The Palo Alto Daily News says the county office was attempting to notify residents about a public meeting on Oct. 19.
The automated message about the San Bruno explosion was the last one distributed. County emergency services coordinator Bill O'Callahan says the operator was unaware it was still in the system.
East Palo Alto is about 20 miles southeast of San Bruno.
___
Information from: Palo Alto Daily News, http://www.paloaltodailynews.com
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
