Thousands of cellphone users in Kentucky were surprised to receive an “emergency alert” from the federal government warning them to “prepare for action,” a message local authorities later blamed on “human error” during testing.
Frankfort Emergency Operations spokesman Buddy Rogers said that the alert was mistakenly sent out “during testing” and was the result of “a computer error, followed by a human error.
Early tests of the cellphone emergency alert system in New Jersey caused panic after Verizon customers received text messages warning them that a “civil emergency” was in progress and to “take shelter,” prompting alarmed citizens to flood 911 lines with anxious calls.
Thousands of Kentucky cell phone users ended disappointed: No riots, no zombie apocalypse and no excuse to skip work and put some rounds downrange. In New Jersey, some are still under the bed waiting for the all clear.
Message was only supposed to go out to the loyal operatives, and was the trigger to start murdering all their Conservative friends.
In Kentucky? That would be like 8 people
That’s how badly they screwed it up ;p
I felt a great disturbance in the gun blogosphere, like a million PMAGs being slapped into ARs- and then silence…
Like a state-wide segault: http://www.xkcd.com/371/
“Frankfort Emergency Operations spokesman Buddy Rogers said that the alert was … the result of ‘a computer error, followed by a human error.'”
So…. To err is human, but to really f#$k up, you need a computer.
In NJ, they flooded the 911 system. In KY, indeed most of the Southeast, it wouldn’t make a lot of difference, at least in rural areas. We’re already watchful & armed. We’d just go from Yellow to Orange.
I’m a Verizon customer, & I’d be pissed if they sent me a text about a vague danger. I don’t send or receive text messages. I already pay attention to what’s going on: let me know when the threat is specific.