It took Hawaii officials more than 20 minutes to contact federal authorities to seek guidance after realizing they had sent out a bogus alert saying there was a missile headed toward the islands.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency told The Associated Press Wednesday that it received the call from Hawaii at 8:30 a.m.
FEMA spokeswoman Jenny Burke says federal employees gave guidance during that call.
In the end, it took nearly 40 minutes after the first alert was sent for the state to send another mobile alert informing residents and tourists that there was no incoming missile.
A missile launched from North Korea would take about 20 minutes to hit Hawaii.
The state said part of the delay in sending the retraction was because they were awaiting FEMA approval. FEMA says the state did not require federal approval to cancel or retract the incorrect alert.
Should military be allowed access to state system for attack alerts, retractions?
After a HI-EMA employee accidentally triggered a false missile alert that sent the entire state into a panic Saturday morning, it took the agency 38 minutes to send a follow-up alert that confirmed it was a false alarm.
Hanabusa says the military would know better than anyone if an attack is imminent, so why not have them issue any type of correction?
“If PACOM says it is or it isn’t, one or the other, that in fact that’s probably the best information that we have, and I think that’s what’s needed in this process,” she explained.
Hanabusa says it would only apply to alerts that involve the military, not natural disasters, and that this oversight will help restore public confidence in the system.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency told The Associated Press Wednesday that it received the call from Hawaii at 8:30 a.m.
FEMA spokeswoman Jenny Burke says federal employees gave guidance during that call.
In the end, it took nearly 40 minutes after the first alert was sent for the state to send another mobile alert informing residents and tourists that there was no incoming missile.
A missile launched from North Korea would take about 20 minutes to hit Hawaii.
The state said part of the delay in sending the retraction was because they were awaiting FEMA approval. FEMA says the state did not require federal approval to cancel or retract the incorrect alert.
Should military be allowed access to state system for attack alerts, retractions?
U.S. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard and Colleen Hanabusa are asking the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services to look into giving U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) access to Hawaii Emergency Management Agency’s alert system.
Always Investigating was the first to report that HI-EMA’s alert system is one of only a handful in the country that does not allow access to other agencies, so any retraction would have to come from HI-EMA.After a HI-EMA employee accidentally triggered a false missile alert that sent the entire state into a panic Saturday morning, it took the agency 38 minutes to send a follow-up alert that confirmed it was a false alarm.
Hanabusa says the military would know better than anyone if an attack is imminent, so why not have them issue any type of correction?
“If PACOM says it is or it isn’t, one or the other, that in fact that’s probably the best information that we have, and I think that’s what’s needed in this process,” she explained.
Hanabusa says it would only apply to alerts that involve the military, not natural disasters, and that this oversight will help restore public confidence in the system.
“I think the people of the state would feel a lot more confident if they knew there was a check on a check on a check,” Hanabusa said.
Other checks include the Federal Communications Commission. Hanabusa says investigators will be coming to Hawaii Wednesday, and will be looking into why some cell phones did not get the alert.
“The bottom line is this is the way we’re moving, to notification and alerts, so we have to be sure that it all works appropriately, and I think that’s what they’re coming in to find out,” she said.
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz is calling on the FCC to make its own recommendations while Sen. Mazie Hirono questioned Kirstjen Nielsen, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, on how to make the system better.
“Do you have the responsibility to convene state emergency managers to make sure that each state has an alert system that functions properly?” Hirono asked.
“We do request a variety of information from state locals on their alert warning systems as part of our threat assessments conducted by FEMA,” Nielsen replied.
On the state level, lawmakers will hold a hearing Friday. Gov. David Ige and HI-EMA administrator Vern Miyagi will be present.
Last Saturday's incident makes you wonder whether HI-EMA officials even knew what the heck was even going on during those uneasy 38 minutes, where neither local resident nor tourist knew what to expect, because HI-EMA officials were running around like chickens with their heads cut off.
Hopefully during a future event HI-EMA officials will actually have their act together, not have their respective heads up in the clouds. While a 10 year employee got transferred to another department, I wonder what the political fall-out will be from this incident.
Hopefully during a future event HI-EMA officials will actually have their act together, not have their respective heads up in the clouds. While a 10 year employee got transferred to another department, I wonder what the political fall-out will be from this incident.
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