Panicked Hawaiians furious over false missile alert

An emergency management worker who pushed the wrong button sent Hawaii into a panic Saturday when cellphones all over the islands lit up with a frightening warning: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” Drivers abandoned vehicles on highways and people in public spaces scrambled to figure out where to take shelter. About 10 minutes later, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency tweeted a false alarm message, but most people didn’t get it because they don’t follow the agency on Twitter. Officials didn’t send another cellphone alert about the false alarm until 38 minutes later. “Clearly, government agencies are not prepared and lack the capacity to deal with emergency situations,” state House Speaker Scott Saiki said in a statement. Saiki blamed a state worker for sending the erroneous alert, but officials have not offered any other details about how it happened. Sen. Brian Schatz called the incident “totally inexcusable.” The Federal Communications Commission plans to launch an investigation.