# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2018, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/121 "2018-01-15T22:33:04Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > And AFTER the person (mis)chooses “Missile Alert” from the drop down menu, are you telling us there is not another pop up that says, "Are you sure you want “Missile Alert”? > > When I want to erase a stinking TV program from my DVR and hit the “erase” button, I get a pop up that says, “Are you sure you want to erase this program?” > > When I want to exit my online account at Bank of America and hit the exit button, I also get a pop up that asks me if I really want to leave. > > And you are telling me that a computer program designed to send out a message as important as a incoming missile alert, does not have a “second question” confirming the operators request? > > Just not buying it. Obligatory [xkcd](https://xkcd.com/970/). About missiles, too. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2018, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/122 "2018-01-15T22:41:03Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I never said it happened. I said, basically, that it’s not entirely impossible for an unknown number of people to react that way. Rational adults do not react that way. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2018, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/123 "2018-01-15T22:45:07Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Rational adults do not react that way. No shit, Sherlock. Irrational adults, however… Maybe you should learn how the real world works rather than that impossibly perfect Utopia you live in. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/124 "2018-01-16T06:29:12Z")
Another Hawaiian body here. I was on the shuttle bus to the Sony Open (pro golf tournament) as a volunteer when the wife called all upset. I took a couple of minutes to explore the interwebs and it became obvious that it was a false alarm. Fortunately, the first tee off time wasn’t until 1105 so there was not a disruption to the tournament. The later descriptions of the incident above are correct. Guy selected the wrong message template from the options and confirmed that he meant it so it went out. There was no template (at that time) to send out a false alarm alert. Seems to be straightened out now but there will be some local fallout. What is still screwed up (but was actually good because it didn’t panic more people) was that the warning was not tied into the emergency siren system. You’d think the sirens would trigger with the warning (first clue to me that it was false). I’m starting a rumor that it was two employees having sex and they rolled over on the button :eek::D. Also, I’m getting shirts made up to commemorate surviving the nuclear attack - thinking a mushroom cloud, pineapples, and palm trees. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/125 "2018-01-16T07:22:31Z")
I’m just glad the Hawaii residents handled the situation with such calm and decorum. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/126 "2018-01-16T13:19:02Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > No shit, Sherlock. Irrational adults, however… > > Maybe you should learn how the real world works rather than that impossibly perfect Utopia you live in. He’s been all puffed up ever since mommy had a dumbwaiter installed to send down his Lunchables and Juicy Juice. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/127 "2018-01-16T21:36:21Z")
Yet another Hawaii person here. We got woken up with our phone buzzing. After the initial, “Wait, for reals?” my reaction was kind of boring. I woke up the kids and we went downstairs and turned on the TV, expecting details and instructions. I wasn’t just going to trust a couple sentences on my phone, especially as I didn’t think North Korea had the ability or inclination to launch at Hawaii. Instead, it was college basketball. No red screen or anything special while cycling through the local stations and CNN. Nothing. Websites like Honolulu Star-Advertiser said nothing either, except for the phone buzzing and Facebook people discussing their phones. Then I thought harder, why am I not hearing air-raid sirens from nearby Schofield Barracks and Wheeler army bases? So, in about 5 minutes, I ascertained “someone at Apple pushed the wrong button”. I wasn’t that far off. But a very surreal day, nonetheless. It is certainly jarring to see “Ballistic Missile Threat Inbound to Hawaii”, especially without a correction for half an hour. I really felt for the poor Intel officers on base, with the Generals and Admirals waking them screaming “Why does my phone know something we don’t?” The person who made the mistake is a 10-year worker and got reassigned in the dept. I suppose that’s fair, firing seems harsh for a person who will NEVER make this mistake again. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/128 "2018-01-16T21:52:17Z")
Supposedly, [this](https://twitter.com/CivilBeat/status/953127542050795520) is the gui for the alert. The worker clicked on PACOM (CDW) - STATE ONLY instead of DRILL - PACOM (CDW) - STATE ONLY. I would argue with that twitter account though. Adding an option for a false alarm is not going to prevent future mistakes. It will just shorten the time between the false alert and the correction. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2018, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/129 "2018-01-16T22:03:31Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Supposedly, [this](https://twitter.com/CivilBeat/status/953127542050795520) is the gui for the alert. The worker clicked on PACOM (CDW) - STATE ONLY instead of DRILL - PACOM (CDW) - STATE ONLY. > > I would argue with that twitter account though. Adding an option for a false alarm is not going to prevent future mistakes. It will just shorten the time between the false alert and the correction. That is still very useful. The less time the false warning is out there, the better. And it will also be useful, in the unfortunate event that there ever is a real event, that not only does the warning come through, but also a “yes, we really fucking mean it this time” follow up message. ---
**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 17, 2018, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/130 "2018-01-17T04:49:22Z")
The staffer who pushed the wrong button is a 10-year employee. Reports today is he’s distraught, not least because he has received dozens of death threats aimed at him and his family by phone, social media and fax. That’s tight, some have been faxing death threats. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/131 "2018-01-17T05:34:19Z")
Another Hawaii person, from the Big Island. I’m late to the thread, but had looked for something in MPSIMS - it didn’t occur to me the news about the false alarm would be in the Pit. Anyway, when it happened I was driving through a fairly remote stretch of lava fields (Highway 11 between HVNP and South Point, for those who know the island) on my way to a guided hike at the Kahuku Unit, so my phone was buried in my backpack. I heard a weird alert noise, but HPR2 kept playing uninterrupted so I ignored it. It happened a second time a while later but I still couldn’t figure out what it was. I got to the Kahuku Unit just as the hike was about to begin but didn’t see a group, so ran over to the park ranger manning the table at the entrance and said, “did I miss the guided hike?” She responded rather sourly, “it was canceled.” I didn’t really care, as I am happy to hike there on my own (it’s gorgeous, though some areas are off limits now due to Rapid Ohia Death) but I thought her attitude was weird. In retrospect, maybe they canceled due to the alert. I knew nothing about it until hours later when I returned home and saw an email from my cousin inquiring if I was okay. Only then did I check my phone, and sure enough, I’d gotten both the alert and the cancellation. Not sure what I would have done if I’d gotten the alert when it was issued. Probably taken it with a grain of salt, as there was nothing on the radio to indicate a problem. I talked to some people who were in Hilo when it happened and got the message when it was sent; the lack of sirens or any follow-up made them fairly sure it was a mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/132 "2018-01-17T13:37:33Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > It’s concerning that this could have been done for a purpose–changing the headlines or giving an excuse to escalate hostilities against North Korea or selling air-raid shelters or any other purpose. > > I am hoping that a full investigation will put to rest any possibility that it was done on purpose. As of an hour ago the story was this: > > [http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/13/politics/hawaii-missile-threat-false-alarm/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/13/politics/hawaii-missile-threat-false-alarm/index.html) > > I hope that’s reliable information. This is serious stuff; a state-wide alarm could be used in some pretty unscrupulous ways. Is Hawaii, the notion that anyone in the Hawaii government is in cahoots with Trump is beyond laughable. I mean seriously, if Hawaii is in league with Trump then there are no checks in the system anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/133 "2018-01-17T16:44:13Z")
The Post story is clearly fake news. That twitter screenshot is NOT a drop down menu! ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/134 "2018-01-17T18:12:47Z")
Hawaiians basically live on or near an active volcano…I’m not surprised they handled this pretty calmly. Just spitballing, but from what I know of government procedures, the likeliest reason for the 38-minute delay in canceling the alert would be “finding someone willing to authorize canceling the alert.” Even knowing it’s false, even if they had a technically convenient way to send out the cancellation, people might have been unwilling to be on record as the one who authorized doing so. Think of the consequences if you’re wrong – millions of people might die AND you’d get a write-up in your permanent record! My small agency had a procedure where we made an extra copy of every page of official correspondence on yellow paper. This was constantly updated – if any change was made to the document before it was final, the yellow copies were reprinted. Sometimes we’d go through a dozen or more reprints of the yellow copies before the final version. The yellow copies were for the archivist. Eventually that person retired, and the new person immediately began throwing the yellow copies away (apparently intending to keep only electronic archives). At that point, I tried to stop us from making the now-entirely-superfluous yellow copies. But the person in charge of the people producing the yellow copies wouldn’t stop “unless authorized” by their boss. For months I argued as much as I dared, and this person agreed to consult their boss, but never did – probably afraid to bring it up. Finally, after a YEAR, I was able to get their boss to agree _in writing_ that the yellow copies were wasteful and should be discontinued. It took _an additional year_ for the person to recognize that their boss had told us to discontinue the yellow copies, despite my repeatedly bringing the topic up (and forwarding the written memo). Finally, after _more than_ two years, the person suddenly suggested that the yellow copies be dropped as if it was their own original idea, and of course everyone was instantly able to stop the extra work and wasted materials. Because it’s not hard to stop doing extra work. It is, apparently, very hard to take responsibility, even in a clear-cut case of saving time and money. So I’m guessing it was something like that. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2018, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/135 "2018-01-18T00:00:10Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Hawaiians basically live on or near an active volcano…I’m not surprised they handled this pretty calmly. Oh crap. Now you’ve gone and done it, **Saiboat** - you’ve activated my pedantic “it is my solemn duty to correct even the slightest misconception about Hawaii, no matter how boringly I must drone on, no matter how uninterested my interlocutors are” mode. Okay, here goes. If by “Hawaiians” you are referring to Big Island residents, it’s not _entirely_ untrue to say they “basically live on or near an active volcano,” but it overlooks the fact that pretty much everyone is not at any real risk, which they know perfectly well. The island is divided into [flow zones](https://pubs.usgs.gov/mf/1992/2193/mf2193.pdf) and a lot of people live in zones 5-9, which really don’t pose a threat (I’m in zone 8 myself). Even zones 1-4 aren’t terribly dangerous to human life, since the Hawaiian volcanoes are shield volcanoes, not pyroclastic, which means that for the most part they erupt slowly, with plenty of time to get out of the way. Kilauea has been erupting continuously since 1983 without causing any deaths (which isn’t to say it couldn’t; [here’s an interesting article that warns against assuming Kilauea is completely harmless](https://www.livescience.com/17338-hawaii-kilaeua-volcano-explosive.html)). Then, there are the other Hawaiian islands, none of which have active volcanoes. Plus, there are all those tourists who are in state at any given time. So plenty of people who were subjected to the false alert and stayed calm must have done so for reasons other than being used to the threat of perishing in a volcanic eruption at any moment. I’ll shut up now. ---
**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 19, 2018, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/136 "2018-01-19T05:25:40Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Another Hawaii person, from the Big Island. I’m late to the thread, but had looked for something in MPSIMS - it didn’t occur to me the news about the false alarm would be in the Pit. > > Anyway, when it happened I was driving through a fairly remote stretch of lava fields (Highway 11 between HVNP and South Point, for those who know the island) on my way to a guided hike at the Kahuku Unit, so my phone was buried in my backpack. I heard a weird alert noise, but HPR2 kept playing uninterrupted so I ignored it. It happened a second time a while later but I still couldn’t figure out what it was. > > I got to the Kahuku Unit just as the hike was about to begin but didn’t see a group, so ran over to the park ranger manning the table at the entrance and said, “did I miss the guided hike?” She responded rather sourly, “it was canceled.” I didn’t really care, as I am happy to hike there on my own (it’s gorgeous, though some areas are off limits now due to Rapid Ohia Death) but I thought her attitude was weird. In retrospect, maybe they canceled due to the alert. > > I knew nothing about it until hours later when I returned home and saw an email from my cousin inquiring if I was okay. Only then did I check my phone, and sure enough, I’d gotten both the alert and the cancellation. > > Not sure what I would have done if I’d gotten the alert when it was issued. Probably taken it with a grain of salt, as there was nothing on the radio to indicate a problem. > > I talked to some people who were in Hilo when it happened and got the message when it was sent; the lack of sirens or any follow-up made them fairly sure it was a mistake. If it were real, I’d rather be on the Big Island than on Oahu anyway. I think I know which would be the likelier target. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/137 "2018-01-20T00:12:46Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Is Hawaii, the notion that anyone in the Hawaii government is in cahoots with Trump is beyond laughable. I mean seriously, if Hawaii is in league with Trump then there are no checks in the system anymore. You’re talking as though the “Hawaii government” contained no individual people. But I’m pretty sure that it does. Individuals are subject to all sorts of pressures and incentives. That doesn’t mean that Button Guy did anything deliberately. But the argument that some monolithic “Hawaii Government” exists and therefore individual actions are impossible and deliberate action can be ruled out, is a very bad one. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/138 "2018-01-20T02:20:17Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Right. So what are NBC and running coach _talking_ about? People running around? No, just relax. No need to get overwrought. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/139 "2018-01-27T14:27:58Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > Obligatory [xkcd](https://xkcd.com/970/). About missiles, too. [A new one](https://xkcd.com/1946/) about the governor being [unable to use log into his Twitter account](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/01/23/hawaii-governor-didnt-correct-false-missile-alert-sooner-because-he-didnt-know-his-twitter-password) to spread the word that the alert was a mistake. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2018, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557/140 "2018-01-27T14:31:30Z")
> [@the Honolulu Star-Advertiser](#): > > Gov. David Ige told reporters today that part of the delay in notifying the public that the Jan. 13 ballistic missile alert was a false alarm was that he did not know his Twitter account password. Governor David Ige for President! I mean, wouldn’t it be such a refreshing change? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/false-incoming-missile-alert-sent-to-hawaii-residents/806557.md?page=8)