SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Some Seminole County residents said they got spooked Wednesday morning as their cellphones alerted them to “an evacuation order,” but nothing much else.
The alert came down around 8 a.m. as Hurricane Milton continued inching toward Central Florida, bound for landfall as a major hurricane on the Gulf Coast.
The bulletin read, “Emergency Alert, Seminole County issued an evacuation order for Hurricane Milton.”
News 6 heard from Jessica Brunner, who lives in Seminole County and tells us she got the alert when she was barely awake.
“I woke up and was immediately startled by the notification,” she said, “I was barely awake and trying to think about how to get my cats and me to safety. I was scared and confused.”
[RELATED: Track Milton: Cone, models, more | COUNTY-BY-COUNTY: Central Fla. impacts | TIMELINE: Milton in Central Florida | Here’s where Milton ranks among strongest Atlantic hurricanes Milton’s ‘dirty side’ is different | What do evacuation zones mean? | Download the FREE News 6 hurricane app]
Although the county clarified the message with a second alert about ten minutes later — specifying it applied to those in mobile homes, low-lying areas, and residents with special needs — commenters under relevant social media posts made their displeasures known.
“Your first alert terrified this community and you’ve dropped the ball clarifying, sending folks scrambling for accurate info,” one commenter wrote.
Your first alert terrified this community and you’ve dropped the ball clarifying, sending folks scrambling for accurate info
— Miss faith (@Missfaith359503) October 9, 2024
In a statement, a county spokesperson acknowledged that the initial alert lacked specifics on which populations would be affected, stating the alert system in use only allows enough room for brief messages and pointing to the second alert for more narrowly-tailored information.
The initial evacuation alert did not have the details on specific populations attached to every device. IPAWS alerts only allow for 90 characters. The second alert included the specifics on the evacuation alert for mobile homes, flood prones areas and those with special needs.
Andy Wontor | Public Information Division Manager | Office of Communications
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