For 38 minutes on Saturday, Hawaii was sent into absolute terror and panic.
Hawaii residents and visitors were shocked and alarmed when they recieved a text notication that read, "EMERGENCY ALERT. BALLISTIC MISSLE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL."
Rightly so, people panicked. They called their loved ones, started weeping, ran to find any sort of shelter. It was like a horror movie had come to life, springing into action without giving anyone a chance to process.
Turns out, it was a horrible false alarm.
Apparently, it was all because someone pressed the wrong button.
My sister is in Hawaii. She texted us all to say goodbye as she watched people run in a panic from the beach past h… https://t.co/6Og5TBdnSp— Nancy Clay (@Nancy Clay)1515873017.0
The mistake took 38 minutes to fix.
There was an Emergency alert for a missile threat in Hawaii around 8 am Hawaii time. My mom texted me around that s… https://t.co/LeAc00PGQL— ♡ KIᗰ ↑% (@♡ KIᗰ ↑%)1515871464.0
The mistake was due to an employee of Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency.
My son texted me from Hawaii. It was a simple text. “ I love you” but I knew something was up. I googled #hawaii and almost lost my mind. 😳— Orpheus Black (@Orpheus Black)1515871036.0
Nearly forty minutes later, people were sent a follow up text explaining the false alarm.
This was my phone when I woke up just now. I'm in Honolulu, #Hawaii and my family is on the North Shore. They were… https://t.co/PNzlvH18sz— Sara Donchey (@Sara Donchey)1515869898.0
The state officials of Hawaii were extremely apologetic, realizing the gravity of their mistake.
In a basement under hotel. Barely any service. Can you send confirmed message over radio or tv https://t.co/qHLeQSecnd— JJ Spaun (@JJ Spaun)1515868018.0
Of course, President Trump has said nothing about the incident.
@RegiBrittain I’m still shaking. My husband ran around closing windows (against radiation); I filled water containe… https://t.co/P0o2RmL1Kf— Nancy Christenson (@Nancy Christenson)1515872852.0
Here's the thing: Hawaii has already been on edge regarding missile launches.
Students at UH Manoa were seen running for shelter in the moments after the missile alert mistake went out. MORE:… https://t.co/5fAKiptxJZ— Hawaii News Now (@Hawaii News Now)1515880917.0
It's absolutely mind boggling that this happened, but Hawaii is taking steps to make sure it doesn't happen again.
My sister in Hawaii texted me a picture of her and her kids huddled in a closet during their false alarm nuclear strike this morning. Crazy.— Eric "Gobble Gobble" Shimmy (@Eric "Gobble Gobble" Shimmy)1515870749.0
Yes, let's hope this never happens again.
Hawaii State Rep. Matt LoPresti says in a shaky voice on CNN: "I was sitting in the bathtub with my children saying… https://t.co/2CpGdQaGk6— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeed News)1515872373.0
One video a user posted showed students rushing around on campus terrified.
My dad is in Hawaii for travel... https://t.co/6JXecxuIBt— Anderson (@Anderson)1515880445.0