Apr 21, 2023 - News

Florida blames contractor for early wake-up call

Martin Vassolo

The test emergency alert that Floridians received before 5am Wednesday. — Not pictured: the screeching siren that accompanied this. Screenshot: Martin Vassolo/Axios

Why was all of Florida woken up before 5am Thursday? A contractor mistakenly sent a test emergency alert to our phones instead of our TVs.

What happened: A spokesperson for Florida's Division of Emergency Management tells Axios that contractor EverBridge will be let go for its role in sending out the statewide wake-up call.

Be smart: While some Twitter users instructed their followers to disable all emergency alerts on their phones, the spokesperson said "having a way to receive emergency alerts can save lives."

"Please do maintain emergency alert notifications on your cellular device — we will ensure they are used appropriately henceforth."

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Florida blames contractor for early wake-up call

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