Technical fault delays CyAlert warning during Larnaca district wildfire

Larnaca, Cyprus. A technical fault delayed the delivery of a CyAlert emergency warning during Monday’s wildfire in Larnaca district, Civil Defence said on Tuesday. The service confirmed it activated the Polyvios emergency evacuation plan for residents of Ayia Anna and Psevdas.

Evacuation response

Civil Defence said it assisted in evacuating the affected communities under instructions from the incident commander and in line with the Polyvios emergency response plan.

It was informed at about 3pm that a precautionary evacuation of Ayia Anna and Psevdas was required and immediately activated the plan.

Community leaders were initially contacted to notify residents through available communication channels. Civil Defence also deployed first responders, liaison officers and the director of its Larnaca regional office to the area.

Operational deployment

The operations control team at Civil Defence headquarters was activated under the deputy commander, alongside regional directorates in Larnaca, Limassol and Nicosia.

A total of 42 Civil Defence members and volunteers were deployed to support the evacuation and set up temporary accommodation in Mosfiloti for displaced residents.

CyAlert issue under investigation

Civil Defence said evacuation plans for all communities had recently been updated with local authorities as part of broader emergency preparedness measures. Evacuation exercises had also been held in every district.

The service said that although CyAlert had previously been tested successfully, a technical problem during Monday’s emergency delayed the public warning message.

It said the issue is being investigated and addressed by technicians from the system’s contractor in line with contractual obligations.