Apps sent ‘erroneous tsunami alert’ to users across Atlantic, Gulf Coast from routine test message
If you use a third-party mobile app to receive alerts about severe weather in your area, you were probably surprised by a tsunami warning notification Tuesday afternoon.
Some third-party apps sent the alert to users in Atlantic and Gulf Coast states after the National Tsunami Warning Center issued its routine monthly test message to communications partners, said Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator with the center in Alaska.
“What we do know is that there were some third-party apps that seemed to have passed this message on,” Snider said. “We’re not sure the scope of that or why.”
The NTWC test message was issued about 12:30 p.m., stating, “This message is for test purposes only,” at the top. “This is a test to determine transmission times involved in the dissemination of tsunami information.”
The message also said: ” All Coastal Weather Forecast Offices in the Eastern and Southern Regions – respond using tsunami message acknowledgment (TMA) procedures. Emergency alert systems and NOAA Weather Radio are NOT to be activated.”
People posted screenshots on X, formerly known as Twitter, of an alert from the American Red Cross’s Emergency App, showing the Atlantic coast from Canada to Florida and the Gulf Coast states highlighted in red. One person posted the screenshot from Lake Worth Beach in Palm Beach County and another posted from Sunny Isles Beach in Miami-Dade County.
Text about the alert being a test appeared at the bottom of the Red Cross’s notification, according to the screenshots posted online. One person said on X that she had to “dig deep” into the message to see that it was a test.
The National Tsunami Warning Center addressed the alert in a Facebook post shortly before 1:30 p.m.
“There is NO TSUNAMI threat for the US Atlantic / East or Gulf Coast,” it said. “We are aware of an erroneous tsunami alert on some apps. Please disregard; we have not issued a tsunami alert.”
National Red Cross spokespersons did not immediately return a voicemail or email seeking information Tuesday evening.
“The warning was issued by NOAA and that is linked to our app,” Tiffany Gonzalez, a spokesperson for Red Cross South Florida Region, said in an email Tuesday night. “There is no tsunami warning in affect at this time.”
It is not clear which other third-party apps disseminated the alert or how widespread the issue was. Gonzalez directed questions about where the alert was disseminated to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
WINK-TV in Southwest Florida reported that people received the alert in Charlotte County. Brevard County Emergency Management officials also shared the NTWC’s Facebook post to its account Tuesday afternoon.
Emergency management officials in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade County have not shared any public statement about the alert.
KII, a TV news station in Corpus Christi, Texas, reported people in South Texas received it. The Galveston County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office also notified residents in a Facebook post that the alert was a test.
The Virginian-Pilot reported on the alert, too.
“I have heard from people in Florida today and heard from people in North Carolina, so I’m assuming that the scope of this is probably the scope of the message test itself,” Snider said. “The test is designed to reach our customers from Canada all the way to Mexico.”
The American Red Cross replied to one angry user on X Tuesday evening, saying they would “connect with our team to learn more about the alerts you were receiving and share your feedback.”
