The false-alarm missile alert in Hawaii was much more of a disaster than previously thought

An
electronic sign reads "There is no threat" in Oahu, Hawaii,
U.S.
Thomson
Reuters

• 
  The Hawaii employee responsible for transmitting an
  emergency alert falsely warning of a ballistic missile earlier
  in January has been fired.
  


• 
  The employee believed the threat was real, and had made
  the same mistake twice before, state officials said
  Tuesday.
  


• 
  The head of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency has
  also resigned over the incident.
  

---

A Hawaii employee has been fired after sending an emergency alert
earlier in January that falsely warned the entire state of an
inbound ballistic missile, triggering 38 minutes of panic and
chaos before a correction was sent, state officials said Tuesday.

The leader of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA),
Vern Miyagi, also resigned over the incident on Tuesday, and
another agency worker was suspended without pay.

The employee who sent the alert had believed the threat was real,
federal investigators said in a preliminary report released
Tuesday. That employee had also made the same mistake at least
two times before, confusing a real event with a drill in a fire
incident and a tsunami incident, state officials said.

The employee's previous job performance had also concerned his
colleagues and supervisors for years, retired Brig. Gen. Bruce
Oliveira told reporters at a press conference. But the employee
was "counseled" and given on-the-spot corrections by supervisors.

The employee has also refused to cooperate with the federal or
state investigations, providing only a written statement.

The Federal Communications Commission said in a preliminary report released
Tuesday that a shift supervisor at the emergency management
agency played a recording over the phone to officers during what
was meant to be a drill, but erroneously included the language
"THIS IS NOT A DRILL."

The FCC's report contradicts the explanation given immediately
after the incident by Hawaii Gov. David Ige, who said the
employee had "pushed the wrong button" by accident during a shift
changeover.

Here's the minute-by-minute breakdown of what happened, according
to the FCC (all times local):

• 8:05 a.m.: The midnight shift supervisor at
  the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency began a surprise
  ballistic missile defense drill at a shift change.
  


• The supervisor pretended to be US Pacific Command, alerting
  the day shift warning officers of a threat by playing a recording
  over the phone.
  


• The recording began with the words "EXERCISE, EXERCISE,
  EXERCISE," as was the proper procedure, but the supervisor also
  erroneously included the words "THIS IS NOT A DRILL," causing the
  warning officer to believe it was a real emergency.
  


• 8:07 a.m.: The officer selected the template
  for a live alert from a drop-down menu, clicking "yes" in
  response to a prompt that said, "Are you sure that you want to
  send this Alert?"
  


• 8:08 a.m.: Another day shift warning officer
  received the false alert on a mobile device.
  


• 8:09 a.m.: HI-EMA notified the governor of the
  false alert, followed by the US Pacific Command and the
  Honolulu Police Department.
  


• 8:20 a.m.: HI-EMA posted the message "NO
  missile threat to Hawaii" on Facebook and Twitter.
  


• 8:24 a.m.: Hawaii's governor retweeted that
  notice.
  


• 8:31 a.m.: The supervisor at HI-EMA logged
  into the alert system and began creating a correction for the
  false alert.
  


• 8:45 a.m.: A correction alert was sent
  clarifying that there was no missile threat.
  

Between 8:07 a.m. and 8:45 a.m., however, people in Hawaii feared for their
lives. They sought out shelter, sped down roads and highways
to reach their families, searched the internet for missile
survival advice, and contacted their loved ones to say goodbye.

The FCC said the incident was a result of "a combination of human
error and inadequate safeguards," and the Hawaii Emergency
Management Agency's lack of preparedness led to the 38-minute
lapse before correcting the alert.

HI-EMA has halted ballistic missile defense drills temporarily
and has already begun implementing new procedures to avoid a
false alert situation, the FCC said. The agency is increasing the
amount of supervision required for drills and alert
transmissions, and has created a template to use for future
corrections.

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