Residents of the U.S. state of Hawaii began their weekend with warnings that a missile was heading toward them and to take shelter. It was a false alarm, but that did not prevent panic as Hawaiians and tourists dropped what they were doing and rushed to shelter. Disturbing though this incident was, it was also salutary, reminding citizens and officials of the very real prospect — and consequences — of conflict as well as the need for a trusted emergency management system if that awful reality were to occur.
At 8:10 a.m. on Saturday, cellphones across the state of Hawaii received an emergency alert that read: "BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL." It was repeated on some TV stations but sirens did not sound. The warning sparked panic among Hawaiians and visitors, with cars being abandoned on highways as drivers took shelter in tunnels and residents rushed to fire stations and tourists huddled in hotel basements and kitchens. Flights at the airport were suspended for nearly 20 minutes.
The alert was a false alarm. Within 15 minutes, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency tweeted there was no threat. For those who were not on that social media platform, it took 40 minutes to get the all clear. Police officers with bullhorns were dispatched to neighborhoods to spread the word that the threat was not real.