Within 20 minutes, a second alert was sent saying there was a drinking water emergency for the Salem area.
Cory Grogan, spokesman for the emergency agency, said the initial wireless alert was sent without the proper information for the public to act.
The first alert said: "Emergency Alert: Civil Emergency in this area until 11:28PM PDT Prepare for Action OEM,1,OR" The alert was sent far beyond the area affected by the city of Salem’s recent water advisory, with members of the public up and down the Willamette Valley reporting that they received the alert.
Officials say they are working to understand why the initial alert was sent out without proper messaging.
Bottled water: Shortages in Salem follow report of toxins in tap water Toxins in water: Salem drinking water contaminated, children shouldn’t drink tap water The emergency management office issued a statement about the alert Tuesday night: "The alert, which was requested by the City of Salem to alert local residents about a drinking water advisory, defaulted to ‘civil emergency’ verbiage.
Yamhill County officials tried to assure residents that they were not affected by the water quality alert.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office issued a similar statement on Twitter urging residents not to call 911 regarding the alert.
He suggested that when alerts go out, people should prepare for additional information to follow unless they have immediate emergencies that require a 911 call.
Larson said the city was working to get its website back up.
Results confirmed the presence of cyanotoxins in the drinking water at levels above acceptable limits for children and those in compromised health.