Hawaii's False Missile Alert: What Happened
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At 8:10am on Saturday morning, as residents and tourists in Hawaii were preparing to start their weekends, phones across the archipelago began lighting up, alarms sounding off. The alarm read, “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”
Upon receiving the alert, panic ensued. Within roughly 10 minutes, state officials were informing residents via social media that the alert was a false alarm, but it took 38 minutes before the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency formally revoked the alert.
What went wrong, and what did this false alarm demonstrate about how prepared Americans really are for an event like this?
Ankit Panda, senior editor at The Diplomat, an online news publication focusing on the Asia-Pacific region, joins The Takeaway to put Saturday's false alarm into perspective.
This segment is hosted by Todd Zwillich.
