Emergency Beach Evacuation Test In South Bay Called A Success

TORRANCE, CA — A second full volume test of the Beach Emergency Evacuation Lights System (BEELS) Thursday afternoon was dubbed a success, the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors announced.

People at Torrance Beach heard the siren and emergency evacuation alerts in English and Spanish, and may have seen flashing lights on permanent structures and two lifeguard towers.

This was the second full volume test and third test overall, which focused on the siren volume and emergency announcements.

While decibel readings were not immediately available, the announcements could be clearly heard at Avenue G in Redondo Beach and 1,000 yards offshore, according to county officials.

During a real evacuation, BEELS will flash white LED lights mounted on permanent structures and some lifeguard towers, as well as broadcast an audible siren and an evacuation announcement in both English and Spanish. The announcement message will change depending on the evacuation type, and the lights will flash slowly for a water-only evacuation and quickly for a water and beach evacuation.

While other beach evacuation alert systems may have sirens and announcements, BEELS is the first beach evacuation warning system worldwide to incorporate flashing lights specifically designed to alert people who are deaf or hard of hearing to an evacuation.

Each of the lights flashed correctly during the evacuation announcement test Thursday. More upcoming BEELS tests are scheduled for May 20 and 27 from 3 to 5 p.m. They will be conducted at a lower volume than Thursday's test. No evacuation announcements will be played for either upcoming test.

For more information about BEELS, visit the county's website: beaches.lacounty.gov/beels.

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