PORTLAND, Ore - City officials are calling Thursday's test of a new emergency alert system nothing short of a complete failure.
Residents should have heard, "Hello, this is Mayor Sam Adams and this is the first ever city-wide test of Portland's emergency notification system."
Instead, most heard nothing.
Had it worked the way it was supposed to the test would have reached 317,000 traditional telephones, cell phones and email boxes across the city. In reality, less than 1 percent got the message. That's around 2,100 devices.
"Today's test was clearly an epic failure," said Carmen Merlo, Director of
Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM).
Officials said they have had some success in the past. Neighbors got alerts during two tactical team call-outs involving Portland police and when there was an
ammonia leak at Alpenrose Dairy last June.
The new system is just one piece of a larger emergency alert system. PBEM used social media to help spread the word Thursday and said they would never rely on one notification method. But with $80,000 a year going to the Louisiana based company that provides the "first call" service, the city and public expect it to work.
"They've got a lot of energy right now trying to figure out what the bugs are and correct them," said Merlo. "They know that they're on the hook, and they're as disappointed as we are that the system failed today."
--KOIN Local 6
