A false alert from the state's Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) Division cause concern for some this morning in portions of St. Louis County.  HSEM sent out an evacuation order to Floodwood and surrounding communities; the agency has since alerted those affected that the message was intended as a test in areas other than where it was sent.  In addition, the portion of the message that says "this is a test" was also cut off, leading many to believe that the evacuation alert was in fact a real order.

The HSEM usually tests its Integrated Public Alert and Warning System weekly - and that test was scheduled for today; however, the message today was sent beyond the planned scope of it's audience.

The Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division was created in 1996, but it's origins date as far back as 1951, when then-Governor C. Elmer Anderson worked to create the state's Department of Civil Defense.

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