# Sorry, this alert is to inform you that our earlier alert was sent in error. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 12, 2020, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-this-alert-is-to-inform-you-that-our-earlier-alert-was-sent-in-error/846308 "2020-01-12T14:24:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-this-alert-is-to-inform-you-that-our-earlier-alert-was-sent-in-error/846308/1 "2020-01-12T14:24:04Z")
I was already pissed off having been awakened today by the shrieking of my cell phone just after 7 AM by what turned out to be a [false alert about a regional nuclear power station](https://www.680news.com/2020/01/12/emergency-alert-warns-of-incident-at-pickering-nuclear-plant/). In fact, not only was the 7:20 alert issued in error but it was only supposed to be sent out to those within 10 km of the site. I live about 35 km away. But I just got another one! Again with the cell phone shrieking early on a Sunday morning! Would you believe this one is to tell me that the one I got 2 hours ago was sent in error! An alert to tell me there was no alert two hours ago. Are they are insane? I will add this episode to the series of false 3 A.M. Amber alerts (especially those from 1000 km away!) and missile attacks at any hour. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-this-alert-is-to-inform-you-that-our-earlier-alert-was-sent-in-error/846308/2 "2020-01-12T14:29:06Z")
The nearby University is doing a study on sleep deprivation? ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-this-alert-is-to-inform-you-that-our-earlier-alert-was-sent-in-error/846308/3 "2020-01-12T16:48:50Z")
Can’t you mute your alerts and alarms. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-this-alert-is-to-inform-you-that-our-earlier-alert-was-sent-in-error/846308/4 "2020-01-12T17:08:57Z")
May not be possible in Ontario: [https://postmedia.us.janrainsso.com/static/server.html?origin=https%3A%2F%2Ftorontosun.com%2Fnews%2Flocal-news%2Famber-alerts-override-some-attempts-to-block-them](https://postmedia.us.janrainsso.com/static/server.html?origin=https%3A%2F%2Ftorontosun.com%2Fnews%2Flocal-news%2Famber-alerts-override-some-attempts-to-block-them) ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-this-alert-is-to-inform-you-that-our-earlier-alert-was-sent-in-error/846308/5 "2020-01-12T17:53:06Z")
I know it was annoying for you, but I had to chuckle at the bureaucratic incompetence. Who on earth would think that’s a good idea? I wonder if it’s a rule – if we send an alert as a mistake, we’ve got to send out another alert that the first one is a mistake. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-this-alert-is-to-inform-you-that-our-earlier-alert-was-sent-in-error/846308/6 "2020-01-12T18:00:59Z")
> [@Personal](#): > > I know it was annoying for you, but I had to chuckle at the bureaucratic incompetence. Who on earth would think that’s a good idea? I wonder if it’s a rule – if we send an alert as a mistake, we’ve got to send out another alert that the first one is a mistake. The first alert was actually a double mistake - it should not have been sent to anyone, and even if was to be sent should have only gone to those living within 10 km. The second alert was bureaucratic competence doing its job by apologizing for its incompetence. So, yes, I also chuckled (when I wasn’t cursing). (And, nope, can’t turn them off in Ontario.) ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-this-alert-is-to-inform-you-that-our-earlier-alert-was-sent-in-error/846308/7 "2020-01-12T18:23:50Z")
Even the [Government has now apologized](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/pickering-nuclear-generating-station-1.5424115). On behalf of all Ontarians, I apologize for the Government. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-this-alert-is-to-inform-you-that-our-earlier-alert-was-sent-in-error/846308/8 "2020-01-12T19:01:40Z")
After an Alaska Air flight where we went to Fairbanks but our luggage went to Fargo, we rolled to a near-Arctic-Circle resort in November to watch the Northern Lights. We were put up in a newer hotel-like building and were apparently the only guests there. We stayed up late, watching auroras roil, sipping wine, naked in the warmth, and crawled into bed even later. The fire alarm went off at 7:07am. We groggily leapt from bed. What to do, what to do? Run naked out into the snow? Take time to dress, and maybe burn up? Then the alarm stopped. We called the main desk. “Oh, sorry, we were just testing the alarm, we didn’t know anyone was in the building. Sorry.” I really hate false alarms. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-this-alert-is-to-inform-you-that-our-earlier-alert-was-sent-in-error/846308/9 "2020-01-12T19:33:21Z")
But OP, surely you feel more secure now knowing that the alert system works? ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-this-alert-is-to-inform-you-that-our-earlier-alert-was-sent-in-error/846308/10 "2020-01-12T19:58:47Z")
Watch for another alert informing you that those responsible for the fault in the previous alerts have been sacked. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-this-alert-is-to-inform-you-that-our-earlier-alert-was-sent-in-error/846308/11 "2020-01-12T20:29:55Z")
Fortunately for me, the moronic way that they’ve rolled out amber alerts here has trained me to power off my phone whenever I receive an “emergency alert”. So I missed the second alert and didn’t worry unnecessarily about impending nuclear doom that wasn’t happening. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-this-alert-is-to-inform-you-that-our-earlier-alert-was-sent-in-error/846308/12 "2020-01-12T22:42:39Z")
My mobile lives downstairs in the kitchen on its charger when I’m home. Meaning it is a floor away from me at night. I would never hear an alert, but then, I’m not certain one has ever come in. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-this-alert-is-to-inform-you-that-our-earlier-alert-was-sent-in-error/846308/13 "2020-01-13T04:52:30Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Watch for another alert informing you that those responsible for the fault in the previous alerts have been sacked. And replaced by a herd of llamas? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-this-alert-is-to-inform-you-that-our-earlier-alert-was-sent-in-error/846308/14 "2020-01-13T14:36:11Z")
What are you supposed to do for a nuclear alert anyway? Duck and cover? Take your iodine pills? Go down to the reactor to help? I think nuclear power is a positive with some issues, and things like this don’t help. One of the issues is transparency and public relations. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-this-alert-is-to-inform-you-that-our-earlier-alert-was-sent-in-error/846308/15 "2020-01-13T21:24:45Z")
I went to bed pretty late on Saturday night and to be woken up with a alert about a potential nuclear problem…let’s just say that I didn’t get back to sleep.