A false emergency alert about a missile sent to cellphones and television screens across Hawaii on Saturday morning sent a wave of fear across the state. The mistaken message also raised the question of how alert systems elsewhere are managed.
When it comes to the LBK Alert emergency system, the Lubbock Police Department said they have a line of communication between several key people to ensure there are no mistakes.
“We take into consideration what time of day is it, who is going to be affected, will this knowledge of what’s going on benefit the public or will it cause more panic than it’s worth,” said Kasie Whitley, public information assistant for LPD. “So, there’s a lot of things that go into determining what goes out in an alert.”
Related Story: City Urges Lubbockites to Sign Up for New Emergency Alert System
The system allows officials to communicate with the public better by sending text messages directly to cellphones about emergencies you need to be aware of.
“We would get out to the scene, we would assess the situation, we would be in contact with command staff out there, and then we would go from there and notify as many people as we possibly could in as short a time as possible,” said Whitley.
The LPD stresses that signing up for the alerts could make your life easier.
“We want the public to know what’s going on. We want to be as transparent as possible, and so we do take that very seriously,” said Whitley
If you want to sign up for the emergency alert system, you can visit this website.