Floyd County EMA Clarifies Evacuation Notification Triggered by Weekend Fire
The Floyd County Emergency Management Agency is looking to clarify an evacuation notice that was issued in conjunction with a weekend fire southeast of Charles City.
The original fire call to Hawkeye Mold and Design on Old Highway Road came into the Charles City Fire Department (FFCD) about 8:30 Sunday (04.06) night. After about three hours of fighting the blaze with help from multiple area fire departments, plastic materials on fire inside the facility were deemed a threat and firefighters were evacuated.
Floyd County Sheriff’s deputies also evacuated residents in the vicinity of the fire. In a Facebook post Monday afternoon (04.07), EMA Director Jason Webster says “deputies went door-to-door to contact residents in the affected area. As an added level of protection, it was decided to send out the alert notification, just in case someone was missed.”
The alert from Iowa Homeland Security Emergency Management Department (HSEMD) was sent out at 12:06 am Monday reading, “2323 Old Hwy R. Charles City, Iowa. EVACUATE NOW ½ mile downwind. Plastic fire in the area.”
Webster says that notification was to only include a very small area on the map, but it was soon apparent that it was sent out over a much broader area, including some residents up to 30 miles way, even some in Minnesota.
Webster says, “Something glitched in the system. Had only the intended people gotten the notification, it would have been a success. For that failure, I would like to apologize. We did not intend to cause the confusion that ensued. Looking back, it was better that more people were notified than not as many as should have been. We will try and find out where the system broke, learn from it, and improve moving forward!”
Webster ends the Facebook post with the graphic “I’M SORRY.”
