Stories related to the Jan. 13, 2018, false alert warning Hawaii of an incoming missile.
Hawaii residents shouldn’t expect the state to resume ballistic missile alert testing anytime soon, but the beleaguered Hawaii Emergency Management Agency is immediately seeking to hire a new leader and procure millions from the state Legislature to shore up its disaster-response capabilities. Read more
The report recommends the state enhance its disaster-response capabilities, improve technology and infrastructure, and implement community preparedness training. Read more
Researchers studying the reaction of Hawaii’s residents after the false missile alert say there was far less panic than they anticipated. Read more
Rocket science, it should come as no surprise, is not easy or cheap. That was most recently demonstrated Jan. 31 off Kauai when a Raytheon SM-3 Block IIA missile failed to intercept an air-dropped intermediate-range target missile. Read more
Hawaii Emergency Management Agency is still trying to correct the record about what really plunged the isles into 38 minutes of needless panic and fear. Read more
Hawaii’s visitor industry, caught flat-footed in the aftermath of the false missile alert on Jan. 13, is partnering with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to prepare for future situations that could impact visitors. Read more
The state’s first explanation for the Jan. 13 false missile alert that caused 38 minutes of panic in Hawaii was that a “button pusher” had clicked on the wrong item from a computer’s drop-down menu. Read more
Before news that the so-called button pusher thought the missile alert in Hawaii was real, the website Freelancer launched a contest seeking to improve the user interface design for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. Read more
The new interim head of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency has taken over, but Brig. Gen. Moses Kaoiwi said ballistic missile alert drills will stay on hiatus until he is assured that the department has a new action plan and the proper resources to move forward. Read more
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The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency is disputing the account of the warning officer who mistook a drill for the real thing and sent an erroneous Jan. 13 missile alert to cellphones, causing 38 minutes of needless fear and panic. Read more
Question: Why are cars being allowed to park on the Koko Head Avenue overpass? Read more
Hawaii’s so-called “button pusher” said the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency didn’t ask for his explanation of how he mistakenly sent a statewide missile alert until three days after the panic-inducing incident. Read more
Hawaii’s so-called “button pusher” says he feels bad about what he put the public through when he mistakenly sent a statewide missile alert and that he wants the truth to come out. Read more
Question: The investigations into the missile scare found serious problems with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. Read more
A Hawaii emergency management official who said last week that his retirement had nothing to do with a mistaken missile alert that stirred panic statewide now says it was because of the fallout from the warning. Read more
Hawaii’s monthly test of its statewide outdoor siren warning system, coordinated with a test of the live audio broadcast segment of the emergency alert system, will resume as scheduled at 11:45 a.m. on Thursday. Read more
A $30 million missile touted as a possible second layer of defense for Hawaii from North Korean threats reportedly failed in its first-ever flight from Kauai’s Aegis Ashore facility today. Read more
When things go wrong in a big way, it is usually the top leadership that takes a beating, which means Gov. David Ige may now be in deep trouble in the wake of the frightening Jan. 13 ballistic missile attack false alarm, according to political observers. Read more
Gov. David Ige and Hawaii Emergency Management Agency officials announced that HI-EMA administrator Vern Miyagi resigned this morning and the so-called “button pusher” has been terminated. Read more
The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency worker who triggered panic by sending a false ballistic missile alert to phones across the state on Jan. 13 believed the state was actually under attack, according to a preliminary investigation by the Federal Communications Commission. Read more
From the lanai where I sat with my coffee, the newspaper and the cat, the ocean looked glassy and I looked forward to surfing when the tide dropped. Suddenly my husband, who had just left for the market, returned with news of an incoming ballistic missile. Read more
