Our periodic reminder on complex systems

From time to time, we remind people that in emergencies - such as the Big One that will one day hit the LA area - complex communication systems often fail. Here's another reminder from the NY Times:*

As fire was billowing through residential neighborhoods in the Hawaii town of Lahaina last month, emergency managers for Maui County sent out an evacuation alert that would blare on the cellphones of anyone near the blaze.

“Evacuate your family and pets now, do not delay,” the warning said.

But many people most in need of the alert said the message never reached their phones, leaving them scrambling for safety as the fire began roaring toward their homes. More than 100 people died in the inferno, and some survivors wondered why they had not been notified earlier that the situation was out of control...

As more households disconnect landline telephones and fewer families have access to broadcast television and radio, emergency managers have increasingly focused on wireless emergency notifications to instantly reach large numbers of people. But that modern system has its own limitations, relying on the resilience of cell networks and the proficiency of emergency crews across a patchwork of local agencies...

Full story at https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/03/us/maui-wildfires-emergency-alerts.html.

The theme of our reminders is that the campus has shed two simple technologies - a low-powered AM broadcasting station - and its landline telephone system. There is some irony in the former as the emergency kits provided to UCLA employees includes a small portable radio. (See the image.) 

The landlines were replaced by VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). In effect, all systems now in place - emails, texts, etc. - assume continued internet service and/or wireless phone service.

So, when you're stuck in the rubble wondering what to do next, remember that you read this warning here.

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*Our most recent reminder: https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2022/12/complex-systems-part-2.html.