SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. —  In anticipation of hazardous conditions resulting from stormy weather, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office sent an alert to smartphones of people in the county Wednesday afternoon. The only problem? Few were able to read the warning for nearly 20 minutes.

The influx of people jumping to the alert link at once overwhelmed servers, which were down for around 17 minutes after the alert was sent, according to an EDSO Facebook post. The alert was made using a system other than El Dorado County’s primary alert system, Rave, because it was the only system that allowed sheriff’s officials to send the alert to residents not signed up for Rave as well as visitors to the area. Sheriff’s officials claim that Rave does not cause server issues like the ones encountered Wednesday.

County residents and visitors looking for up-to-date information on the storms can visit edcgov.us/flooding/2022-2023-storm, a website created by the county for that express purpose. The site provides information on animal services, road closures, evacuation orders, power outage reporting and tracking, emergency alert messages and more. Individuals interested in receiving county alerts can also sign up for Rave by following the instructions at ready.edso.org. 

The text of the alert that was sent reads as follows:

This is an important storm message from the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services. If you live or are traveling through any of the El Dorado County burn scars created by the Caldor or Mosquito fires, be aware and prepared for mudslides and debris flows in those areas. The Mosquito Burn Scar area includes the properties north of Volcanoville Road into the Middle Fork of the American River Canyon, which borders Placer County. The Caldor Burn Scar includes the town of Grizzly Flat, Mormon Emigrant Trail, the Highway 50 corridor and Christmas Valley in the South Lake Tahoe Basin. Due to the forecasted seriousness of the incoming weather, if you live in an area prone to flooding, be aware and prepared for new and recurring flooding in your area. Please follow the El Dorado County and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office Facebook pages for important information and emergency alerts.