Let me be clear, issuing a warning is not an easy task or function. There are many elements to the making a warning effective. If you read this story,
Authorities Issued Only Limited Evacuation Alerts in Paradise as Monster Fire Moved in, there were appropriate considerations made — based on past experience. But this was not the previous fire — this one was a totally different animal indeed.
The issue with Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) not being specific enough for geographical areas may be fixed in 2019, but I'd use the tool when you come to the realization of what is going on.
A failure to warn is one of those unforgivable sins that an emergency manager or other public official can commit.
Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.