Do Not Panic!

From the comments comes this news:

An evacuation order for the state of Connecticut was broadcast by mistake on some cable television systems and radio stations Tuesday afternoon at approximately 2:17 p.m. […]

State emergency management officials believe someone pressed the wrong button today

Comments

[PA System]

Get the fuck out of Connecticut. I repeat: Get the fuck out of Connecticut.

Go to Jersey, or something.

[Isaac Bartram]

Some people are gonna be real sorry they didn't pay attention when CT slides into the Atlantic Ocean at 4:32 PM EST.

[Isaac Bartram]

Of course it'll take RI with it, but nobody bothered to tell them.

Wonder why? 🙂

[duncan]

If I was designing the emergency broadcast system switchboard, I'd probably place the "test" and the "evacuate the fucking state!" buttons pretty far apart from each other.

But what do I know?

[Shannon Love]

Maybe they should put that button under a cage.

[Thomas Paine's Goiter]

If I was designing the emergency broadcast system switchboard, I'd probably place the "test" and the "evacuate the fucking state!" buttons pretty far apart from each other.

Why would there be a button to evacuate an entire state? What emergency could occur that an entire state would have to leave the borders?

[Talboito]

I could see a few extreme cases for statewide evacuation.

Like the election of Alan Keyes to a position of responsibility.

[Muggs]

I saw it, I looked briefly at the local news stations, didn't see anything, and went back to watching a TiVo'ed episode of "Law and Order: CI".

[Jeff]

I work at the CT station that broadcasts the mid day lottery. We had a signal problem interupting the transmission from the lottery studio to our station, and were already inundated with calls asking where the drawing was, when the false EAS alert came. Our receptionist was not amused.
Most broadcast stations in CT did not air the alert, as it lacked any voice message or "tune in to XXXX for more info." But cable head-ends tend to forward EAS messages automatically over all broadcast signals (something we broadcasters don't like much), so anyone watching cable saw the evac message crawl over every channel.
In fairness, the office of emergency management was on the phone to broadcasters before the alert had even finished transmitting.
As for questions as to why the "Test" and "Oh Shit" buttons could possibly be mixed up, be aware that most state EAS systems are run by a network of specialized boxes and computers, most of which run Windows 2000.

[Drew W]

Hey, I grew up in Connecticut. Sure gonna miss it.

[Psion]

So, Jeff, what you're saying is that a clever spammer can manipulate that system to start broadcasting offers to increase your penis size, enhance your bust, and lower your mortgage?

Cool.

[Chuck]

Follow up to EAS alert:

When you evacuate Connecticut, do NOT go to Florida.
Repeat: DO NOT go to Florida. Stay up north.

That is all.

[Randolph Carter]

whoa, I live in CT and I didn't hear anything about this... and I had the radio and TV on pretty much all day. Can't wait to hear people use the fact they didn't hear about it as a reason to start a new Department of State Evacuation Protocols and Procedures.

[thoreau]

Isn't Jennifer in Connecticut?

Jennifer, what have you been doing?

Like the election of Alan Keyes to a position of responsibility.

Forget evacuation! That's when it's time for mass suicide!

[punch drunk]

PSA: The punch is good. The punch is good. Drink the punch.

[Jennifer]

Thoreau-

I never saw the alert and heard nothing about it, until my boyfriend emailed to tell me it was a false alarm about evacuating the state. Which would have been a relief if I'd known about it, but since I didn't my response was basically, "Huh?" Then a few minutes later I saw this link on Hit and Run, but otherwise I'd never know it happened.

And that's how I survived the Connecticut Evacuation of 2005. It was pretty close there, for awhile, but with God's help I got through.

[Ball of Confusion]

So on his last day in office Tom Ridge finally gets the hang of it and solves the Connecticut Crisis before people even knew it was happening. A fitting way to wrap up a fine career. Alert Level: Over and Out.

[Ruthless]

One of the few redeeming features of Sinincincinnati is that it is just across the river from Kentucky.
Don' throw me into dat dere briar patch say Brer Rabbit.

[Agammamon]

"Why would there be a button to evacuate an entire state? What emergency could occur that an entire state would have to leave the borders?"

Well, CT is a pretty small state. After living here for 3 years I imagine *any* emergency would give people an excuse to leave.

[qwertyhndfa/AAAAAARGH]

Has it occurred to anyone that the false alarm to evacuate Connecticut might have been a deliberate distraction? While everyone's attention was focused there, something momentous and horrible might have been perpetrated elsewhere.

As a matter of fact, I just happened to -- OH DEAR GOD, WHAT HAPPENED TO MONTANA??

MUST GET WORD OUT!!!! MUST GET WO

[Douglas Fletcher]

Jesus, what the hell would happen if they had an accidental evacuation order and an accidental Amber alert at the same time?

[kevrob]

If the Nutmeg State fell into the sea (Long Island Sound), man, would that mess up property values on the North Shore of LI! Of course, all of CT won't fit into the Sound, so either the Island gets shoved south, swamping the barrier beaches such as Fire Island and collapsing the Great South Bay, or Connecticut might skid on top of its neighbor. Few would see it coming, as the EBN that Pomonok tunes into comes, for the most part, from New York.

On the plus side, New York Islander fans jonesing for some hockey could drive to Bridgeport to take in matches of the top farm club, the Sound Tigers. OK, that name would need to be changed.

Kevin