California Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán has called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to move forward with plans to modernize the federal emergency alert system. This includes providing multilingual alerts during natural disasters for residents who speak languages other than English at home. Barragán’s request comes after recent wildfires in Los Angeles that endangered many communities with large Asian American and Pacific Islander populations, some of whom have limited English proficiency.
In a letter addressed to Brendan Carr, the Republican chair of the FCC, Barragán expressed her concern over delays in implementing multilingual Wireless Emergency Alerts, which are crucial for severe natural disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes, and earthquakes. She highlighted that approximately 68 million Americans speak a language other than English, emphasizing that everyone deserves to understand emergency alerts.
Barragán insists that multilingual alerts should be available nationwide, but noted that the need is particularly pressing in Los Angeles, a region prone to wildfires, flooding, and earthquakes, and home to a diverse immigrant population. She stated, "In California, we have wildfires, we’re always on earthquake alert. We just want people to have the information on what to do."
Despite a previous FCC order expected to facilitate multilingual alerts, progress has stalled under the Trump administration. In October 2023, the FCC approved new rules to allow Wireless Emergency Alerts in more than a dozen languages, but the implementation has been delayed. The FCC has yet to publish the order in the Federal Register, which is necessary to trigger compliance timelines.
Barragán criticized the FCC’s inaction, arguing that it endangers communities by preventing them from receiving vital emergency information in their preferred language. She noted that during the recent fires, alerts were only issued in English and Spanish, leaving many residents unaware of the danger until it was too late.
Community leaders have echoed Barragán’s concerns. Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of the Asian American and Pacific Islanders Equity Alliance, described the FCC’s failure to push for multilingual alerts as a “real dereliction of duty.” She pointed out that many Asian Americans in Los Angeles County, particularly those who primarily speak Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese, faced significant challenges in accessing emergency information during the fires.
Kulkarni highlighted that over 12,000 Asian immigrants and their descendants living in the evacuation zones needed language assistance during the crisis. Many residents only realized the fire was close when they received evacuation orders, leading to panic and confusion.
The lack of multilingual alerts not only affects residents but also complicates the work of first responders. Barragán emphasized that if communities do not understand evacuation orders, it puts both the residents and emergency crews at greater risk.
As the FCC continues to delay necessary actions, Barragán and community leaders are urging for immediate changes to ensure that all Americans, regardless of their primary language, can receive life-saving information during emergencies.