"As HuffPost reporter Taiyler Mitchell wrote, during the Eaton Fire, eastern Altadena received evacuation warnings within an hour, but western neighbourhoods – where 17 of 18 deaths occurred – did not receive alerts until 3.25am, nearly eight hours later. Residents west of Lake Avenue, in predominantly Black neighbourhoods, said they were stunned by how long it took to get the evacuation order, and that by the time they received them many homes in the area were on fire, further eroding trust."

"'There was also a lot of confusion about evacuation warnings versus evacuation orders, what areas they applied to, even the names of the fires and other critical information,' she noted. " 

"It’s ironic that [Taiyler] Mitchell, then an entry-level journalist, found herself in this early morning predicament. The scene is fit for a movie itself. But there are no trophies or standing ovations for the faceless, well-dressed volunteers who keep the room looking full during wide shots of the audience — only long hours, big bills, and a lot of 'hurry up and wait.'"

There are plenty of issues that deserve bipartisan attention from Congress, yet legislators took aim at an app that more than 270 million Americans use to find fun, education and community, HuffPost reporter Taiyler Mitchell noted.