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Hawaii missile alert: How one employee ‘pushed the wrong button’ and caused a wave of panic
Washington Post ^ | 01/15/2018 | Amy B. Wang

Posted on 01/15/2018 8:46:07 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Shortly after 8 a.m. local time Saturday, an employee at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency settled in at the start of his shift. Among his duties that day was to initiate an internal test of the emergency missile warning system: essentially, to practice sending an emergency alert to the public without actually sending it to the public.

It was a drill the agency had started with some regularity last November — around the time Hawaii reinstated its Cold War-era nuclear warning sirens amid growing fears of an attack by North Korea — and so, while the tests were not yet routine enough to be predictable, they were not entirely new either, according to an agency spokesman.

Around 8:05 a.m., the Hawaii emergency employee initiated the internal test, according to a timeline released by the state. From a drop-down menu on a computer program, he saw two options: “Test missile alert” and “Missile alert.” He was supposed to choose the former; as much of the world now knows, he chose the latter, an initiation of a real-life missile alert.

“In this case, the operator selected the wrong menu option,” HEMA spokesman Richard Rapoza told The Washington Post on Sunday.

Around 8:07 a.m., an errant alert went out to scores of Hawaii residents and tourists on their cellphones: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” A more detailed message scrolled across television screens in Hawaii, suggesting, “If you are indoors, stay indoors. If you are outdoors, seek immediate shelter in a building. Remain indoors well away from windows. If you are driving, pull safely to the side of the road and seek shelter in a building or lay on the floor.”

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; US: Hawaii
KEYWORDS: hawaii; hawaiimissilealert; missilealert
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1 posted on 01/15/2018 8:46:07 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

This story is based on the press release from the HI Gov’s office.

Unfortunately, it makes no sense what so ever that triggering an alert is that easy (too many failsafes in place), or why it took so long to catch said error and send out correction.


2 posted on 01/15/2018 8:48:34 AM PST by jimjohn (2nd American Civil War: ongoing since January 20, 2017.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Not sure I buy the story.


3 posted on 01/15/2018 8:48:36 AM PST by redgolum
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To: SeekAndFind

Why did it take 38 minutes to correct? How long did it take the button pusher to realize what he’d done?


4 posted on 01/15/2018 8:48:57 AM PST by Spok ("What're you going to believe-me or your own eyes?" -Marx (Groucho))
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To: SeekAndFind

It was an employee of the HEM?

No way! It was Trump’s fault.

Surprised the Compost wrote this at all. Whassup with that?


5 posted on 01/15/2018 8:49:44 AM PST by Paulie (America without Christ is like a Chemistry book without the periodic table.)
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To: jimjohn

This story is a load of crap.


6 posted on 01/15/2018 8:50:10 AM PST by pgkdan (The Silent Majority STILL Stands With TRUMP!)
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To: SeekAndFind

This has happened before.

https://seanmunger.com/2014/02/20/we-interrupt-this-program-the-terrifying-ebs-false-alarm-of-1971/

And in my lifetime, which does not yet qualify as ancient history.


7 posted on 01/15/2018 8:50:32 AM PST by Buckeye McFrog
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To: redgolum

BS!

I go w/Eric Peters last article, and the one on FEAR is intended!


8 posted on 01/15/2018 8:50:47 AM PST by gunnyg ("A Constitution changed from Freedom, can never be restored; Liberty, once lost, is lost forever...)
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To: SeekAndFind

Sounds like it was planned so as to trash Trump over his foreign policies.

Sick liberal solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.


9 posted on 01/15/2018 8:51:39 AM PST by Vaquero (Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.)
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To: gunnyg

link to article? thanks


10 posted on 01/15/2018 8:51:39 AM PST by lerker
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To: SeekAndFind

But Jamie Lee Curtis said Trump did it.


11 posted on 01/15/2018 8:52:16 AM PST by conservative98
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To: SeekAndFind

Hawaii is completely under the control of Democrats - how will they account for this case of gross incompetence on the state level?


12 posted on 01/15/2018 8:52:47 AM PST by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: jimjohn
Around 8:05 a.m., the Hawaii emergency employee initiated the internal test, according to a timeline released by the state. From a drop-down menu on a computer program, he saw two options: “Test missile alert” and “Missile alert.” He was supposed to choose the former; as much of the world now knows, he chose the latter, an initiation of a real-life missile alert.

Looks like a single point of failure - not double or triple check that the user really, really wanted to do that. Poor system design, but that happens all the time on government systems.

13 posted on 01/15/2018 8:52:48 AM PST by dirtboy
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To: SeekAndFind

The 1971 EBS False Alarm

WOWO Ft. Wayne EBS False Alarm: February 20,1971

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu4r79l8P8I


14 posted on 01/15/2018 8:53:22 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: SeekAndFind

As annoying as “Are you sure?” prompts are, they do serve a purpose.


15 posted on 01/15/2018 8:53:56 AM PST by Bob (Damn, the democrats haven't been this upset since Republicans freed their slaves.)
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To: Bob
As annoying as “Are you sure?” prompts are, they do serve a purpose.



16 posted on 01/15/2018 8:55:19 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: SeekAndFind

Breitbart reported that Hawaii Police knew 30 seconds after broadcast.


17 posted on 01/15/2018 8:56:24 AM PST by Lopeover ( The 2016 Election is about allegiance to the United States!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Was it Caused by...






some commie prevert trying to destroy our purity of essence and messing with our precious bodily fluids?

Because that would make about the same amount of sense as the story they are giving us.

18 posted on 01/15/2018 8:59:50 AM PST by left that other site (For America to have CONFIDENCE in our future, we must have PRIDE in our HISTORY... DJT)
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To: lerker

sorry, cnnot do THAT!
;)
+++++++++++++++++++++


19 posted on 01/15/2018 8:59:51 AM PST by gunnyg ("A Constitution changed from Freedom, can never be restored; Liberty, once lost, is lost forever...)
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To: SeekAndFind
This false alarm wasn't all for naught. People can now consider what they would really do and make a plan. Buy new sunglasses and good Whisky because that's about all you can do. Make your peace with the lord.

Voting in strong Republicans would be a start at heading off North Korea too.

20 posted on 01/15/2018 9:00:45 AM PST by Newbomb Turk (Hey Newbomb, where is your bothers ElCamino ?)
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