# False "incoming missile alert" sent to Hawaii residents **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 13, 2018, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557 "2018-01-13T18:51:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/61 "2018-01-14T02:30:50Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > I am astonished that anyone could just brush off this incident as if it were a minor story. This is a huge, gigantic fucking deal. Under _no_ circumstances should it be possible for something like this to happen _by accident._ The very fact that it did, that the process of issuing an emergency alert for something of such grave importance is sufficiently lax that it can be done without multiple people confirming and verifying it…and then taking more than half an hour to be retracted, on top of that?! This is a big, big deal. It’s _way_ more important of an issue than anything Donald Trump said or did. What the fuck? No. Racism is a far bigger issue than something that harmed no one and just freaked people out for a bit. A safety precaution failed in the right way, meaning people were warned when there was no problem, rather than the other way around. Sure, it’s news, in that it’s interesting to hear about. It’s news in that it affected the lives of these Hawaiians for a bit. But it’s not really a big deal. Having our president proclaim his racism out of his own mouth, and people even agreeing that it was racist, but having him still in office: now that is a big deal. He continues to have the power to enact racist policies and harm everyone in our country. And not just in some temporary way that makes them upset for less than an hour, but lasting harm. Stop trying to normalize Trump or pretend that what he says is not important. It is. He is the most powerful government official in the US. He can and will cause lasting harm. While this Hawaii thing we will barely even think about in a couple months. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/62 "2018-01-14T02:31:53Z")
I’m not getting the “human error” explanation. I can understand how someone might have accidentally pushed some button, but is this actually a canned message at the ready to be sent out in some sort of emergency? The message is almost non-informative. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/63 "2018-01-14T02:36:52Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Slow news day. Now that every news anchor has been able to say “shit-hole” at least 3 times on the air, they’re bored and need to move on. Are there any celebrities on their deathbeds of late? Now that they’re used to “shithole,” they want to give “Holy Shit!” a try. 😃 > [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > I have yet to hear an explanation from state authorities for the forty-minute delay in correcting the error. > [@Jacquernagy](#): > > I am astonished that anyone could just brush off this incident as if it were a minor story. This is a huge, gigantic fucking deal. Under _no_ circumstances should it be possible for something like this to happen _by accident._ The very fact that it did, that the process of issuing an emergency alert for something of such grave importance is sufficiently lax that it can be done without multiple people confirming and verifying it…and then taking more than half an hour to be retracted, on top of that?! This is a big, big deal. It’s _way_ more important of an issue than anything Donald Trump said or did. Local TV is still analyzing it, and Governor Ige has been making the rounds of TV stations following a detailed press conference. But there is still no clear answer as to why it happened. Hey, it’s only been a few hours. They’re looking into it. But what is clear is the button was pushed to send that message, and when the words appeared on the screen saying, “Do you really want to do this?” (they say this really appears on the screen), the guy there did push the button again. He really seemed to think it was part of the drill going on. One change already made is it will now take two people to push separate buttons. What may be more worrying is that while a lot of people got a clue that maybe it wasn’t real because of no attack siren, now it appears some areas did get the siren too. Until now, everyone thought it was everyone or no one would get the siren. So that will be looked into too. But the big, BIG question is why it took 38 minutes to communicate it was a false alarm. That is definitely being looked into. But there doesn’t seem to have been anything nefarious going on. Just your mundane, everyday fuck-up. Some people, myself included, are thinking maybe it’s good this happened since it has exposed some flaws in the system that can now be addressed. Interesting too how different businesses handled it. I learn Starbucks closed up. So Starbucks has a protocol for nuclear attack, which is lock up. So did Foodland, one of our local supermarkets, but then reopened. I assume Starbucks reopened too. > [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Why were people “crying, screaming, and running around in the streets?” > > [Hawaii Says No Missile Threat After Emergency Alert Mistakenly Sent – NBC Bay Area](https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/national-international/Hawaii-No-Missile-Threat-False-Alarm-Emergency-Alert-469144713.html) > > Isn’t running around in the streets the exact opposite of taking shelter? I think running around crying and screaming was very much a minority reaction. There was a lot of concern and fright but not that much extreme emotion. Maybe we just live in a tougher neighborhood, but really, no one in it seems traumatized and are just blowing it off. As I said, the wife and I missed it completely. Our next door neighbors are a couple, a man and woman who are both stationed here in the army and from the mainland. The first I learned of anything was when he poked his head into our front door and asked, "Hey, how about that false alarm?’ And we’re like, “False alarm? We didn’t hear the fire alarm go off.” I hear Dan Rather has said the State of Hawaii ought to buy each and every resident a drink of his or her choice, which I think is a fine suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/64 "2018-01-14T02:39:19Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I’m not getting the “human error” explanation. I can understand how someone might have accidentally pushed some button, but is this actually a canned message at the ready to be sent out in some sort of emergency? The message is almost non-informative. Yes, there is actually a canned message at the ready to be sent out in some sort of emergency. Get over it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/65 "2018-01-14T02:42:23Z")
Maybe in the future the message should be just a brief: RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!! That would be about as informative. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/66 "2018-01-14T02:42:46Z")
I hope no one is wagging the dog. If they are, I will be seriously disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/67 "2018-01-14T02:44:04Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > At least one local station is holding all-day coverage. Local officials are really being raked over the coals. They say new measures have already been put into place. One is there will be two people present before that button gets pushed. They’re saying it really was a button, and there’s something about the words on the screen saying, “Do you really want to do this?” before the button is pushed. Looks like someone went ahead anyway. May have thought that was part of the drill. > > Seems the Big Island got the all-clear long before Oahu. The person who thought a button for this was a good idea is the one ultimately responsible. That’s as bad as voting machines where the password is “admin” and the vote totals can be edited. The alert should be a script executed by a command, with a prompt asking you if you’re sure you want to do it and maybe even asking for your admin password before executing. A button is the stupidest idea ever. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/68 "2018-01-14T02:45:47Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > The person who thought a button for this was a good idea is the one ultimately responsible. That’s as bad as voting machines where the password is “admin” and the vote totals can be edited. > > The alert should be a script executed by a command, with a prompt asking you if you’re sure you want to do it and maybe even asking for your admin password before executing. A button is the stupidest idea ever. This is why maybe this is a good thing it happened. Now people are scrutinizing what should and should not happen. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/69 "2018-01-14T02:47:54Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > This is why maybe this is a good thing it happened. Now people are scrutinizing what should and should not happen. Get some Israelis to come and and audit the system. They know how do this kind of shit! It’s like when you need to build breakwaters or whatnot against the ocean: Who do you call? The Dutch, of course! ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/70 "2018-01-14T02:48:42Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > What the fuck? No. Racism is a far bigger issue than something that harmed no one and just freaked people out for a bit. A safety precaution failed in the right way, meaning people were warned when there was no problem, rather than the other way around. I’m not saying that Donald Trump and his bullshit is _not_ a big issue, but I’m sorry, this is a bigger one. There is no way in hell that it should be possible for one guy to accidentally broadcast an official emergency warning of a ballistic missile strike. The procedures for doing so should be no less involved and no less secure than the procedures for actually launching the missiles. It should involve confirmation from multiple parties and authorization from the military. There’s no fucking excuse for what happened that is satisfactory to me; and the fact that it was possible for it to happen is more important than the individual guy who fucked up. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/71 "2018-01-14T03:00:22Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > I’m not saying that Donald Trump and his bullshit is _not_ a big issue, but I’m sorry, this is a bigger one. There is no way in hell that it should be possible for one guy to accidentally broadcast an official emergency warning of a ballistic missile strike. The procedures for doing so should be no less involved and no less secure than the procedures for actually launching the missiles. It should involve confirmation from multiple parties and authorization from the military. There’s no fucking excuse for what happened that is satisfactory to me; and the fact that it was possible for it to happen is more important than the individual guy who fucked up. And that is all now being addressed. No need for hysterics. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/72 "2018-01-14T03:02:38Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > This is why maybe this is a good thing it happened. Now people are scrutinizing what should and should not happen. To me, the most encouraging sign is that Hawaii didn’t go to pieces. People were unnecessarily frightened, but it sounds like most people did the best they could. Hotels got everyone into basements, people sought shelter. So as a drill that wasn’t supposed to be a drill, not bad. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/73 "2018-01-14T03:07:56Z")
One thing I just learned about why it took 38 minutes to sound the all-clear is apparently there is no automated system for declaring a false alarm. Staff had to key in a message manually, but only after they realized their mistake. That will be addressed pronto. The employee who pushed the button reportedly did not realize what he had done until he received the text message himself on his own phone! They’re not saying if the employee will be suspended or even fired, but they are saying all staff will undergo retraining. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/74 "2018-01-14T03:12:59Z")
Police have announced no injuries or medical emergencies due to today’s shenanigans. It sounds like the biggest panickers, among the few there were, were tourists, especially here in Waikiki. EDIT: Just heard wedding preparations in a hotel here in Waikiki were interrupted as everyone was herded into the basement. The wedding eventially proceeded. Now THAT is a wedding story to tell your grandchildren. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/75 "2018-01-14T03:14:50Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > \*\*… > > MELTDOWN. FLEE CITY. > …\*\* > allcapsbuster Meltdown? I prefer “unrequested fission surplus” ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/76 "2018-01-14T03:27:39Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > One thing I just learned about why it took 38 minutes to sound the all-clear is apparently there is no automated system for declaring a false alarm. Staff had to key in a message manually, but only after they realized their mistake. That will be addressed pronto. > > The employee who pushed the button reportedly did not realize what he had done until he received the text message himself on his own phone! They’re not saying if the employee will be suspended or even fired, but they are saying all staff will undergo retraining. Definitely shouldn’t fire the employee. If you have a situation where an employee can push a button and cause a disaster and not even be aware he accidentally pushed the button, that’s on the person who designed the system. I’ve spent a lot of years working in a similar environment where I’m tasked with monitoring systems and taking action based on what I see, and there are no buttons for me to accidentally push. Actually, that’s not ENTIRELY true. There is a button that turns off the AC unit in the server room. And if I push that button, I can be under no confusion about it because a really loud alarm goes off until I turn it back on. So what you had here was a button that could be accidentally pushed, throwing Hawaii into chaos, and there wasn’t even a dramatic klaxon sound to alert an employee that he’d done it? What happens if you are SUPPOSED to push the button? How would you know if it worked? Who built that shit? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/77 "2018-01-14T04:19:26Z")
My local news just showed a clip of some official in Hawaii talking about this and from his voice and speech patterns he sounded almost exactly like Jianyu/Jason Mendosa from _The Good Place_. Anyone have any idea who this is? I’ve found clips of the governor, and it isn’t him. (While searching for the clip, I found [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2drKAhO6kk) interesting live-streamed reaction.) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/78 "2018-01-14T04:19:53Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > So what you had here was a button that could be accidentally pushed, throwing Hawaii into chaos, and there wasn’t even a dramatic klaxon sound to alert an employee that he’d done it? What happens if you are SUPPOSED to push the button? How would you know if it worked? Who built that shit? Indeed. It’s sounding like: - It was too easy to accidentally send the warning message - The system didn’t make it immediately clear to people working at the emergency management center that an emergency message had been sent - Sending a retraction was considerably more difficult than sending the initial warning Admittedly, I’m no expert on these sorts of things, but that does sound like multiple points of poor design. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/79 "2018-01-14T04:25:48Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > The main thing I’m pissed off about is this has now pushed President Chump’s “shithole countries” controversy completely out of the news. Don’t worry; Black History month is just around the corner so he’s bound say/do something even worse. > [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Maybe they could trick him into getting into a shelter with no phone reception and lock it from the outside. Or send him on a hot air balloon ride over the Atlantic and then we can all move on with our lives. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2018, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/80 "2018-01-14T04:43:05Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > My local news just showed a clip of some official in Hawaii talking about this and from his voice and speech patterns he sounded almost exactly like Jianyu/Jason Mendosa from _The Good Place_. Anyone have any idea who this is? I’ve found clips of the governor, and it isn’t him. (While searching for the clip, I found [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2drKAhO6kk) interesting live-streamed reaction.) I don’t know the names you mentioned, but is it the guy on the Hame website I linked to in post 51? [Here it is again](http://dod.hawaii.gov/hiema/). If so, his name is Miyagi, and he is a Hema official. He’s been on the news a lot today. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557.md?page=5)