Officials: Pre-Dawn Huntington Beach Tsunami Alerts, Sirens Were False Alarm
HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA) — Police say the tsunami alerts and siren that went off in the early morning hours Friday in Huntington Beach were a false alarm, and officials are working to figure out how and why that happened.
At about 4:20 a.m., the tsunami alerts and sirens were activated in Huntington Beach, but fire officials were quick to reassure residents that there was no current threat to the community.
Huntington Beach police spokeswoman Angela Bennett later told CBS2 that a system error caused the false alarm. The alarm was scheduled to go off as a test at 12 p.m. Friday. Officials are unsure why the alarm went off at 4:20 a.m. instead.
The system is being taken offline and will not go off at noon Friday while officials work to determine what caused the false alarm.
Many residents posted to social media about being jolted from their beds.
Residents were urged to sign up for ALERT OC, which is Orange County's mass wireless emergency notification system.
