‘Slur’ projected onto Washington hotel

AUTHORITIES faced anger and demands for answers yesterday after a false alarm about an incoming ballistic missile caused panic in Hawaii, a Pacific archipelago already on edge over fears of a North Korean attack.

The notification was sent out just after 8am on Saturday, lighting up phones with a disturbing alert urging people to seek immediate shelter.

Emergency management officials later admitted the wrong button was pushed during a shift change.

But it took nearly 40 minutes for a corrected message to be issued – with Hawaii’s governor saying there was no automatic way to cancel the false alarm, meaning it had to be done manually.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which is responsible for standards, procedures and testing protocols for the Emergency Alert System that delivered the false alert, promised a full investigation.

The alert, which read “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL”, sparked panic, with people rushing for safety whether in a bathtub, a basement, a manhole or cowering under mattresses.

After it was declared a false alarm and the panic had subsided, there was anger.

“Everyone in America needs to understand that if you had to go through this, you would be as angry as I am,” Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii wrote on social media.

“We’re terrified and angry. Called my parents. Called my sister. Husband and I were shaking, verge of tears. Waited 40 minutes for a correction. No confidence in this emergency alert system,” photographer Aislinn Victoria said on Twitter.

The erroneous message came after months of soaring tensions between Washington and Pyongyang, with North Korea claiming it had successfully tested ballistic missiles that could deliver atomic warheads to the United States, including Hawaii’s chain of volcanic islands.

“I deeply apologise for the trouble and heartbreak that we caused today,” Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA) administrator Vern Miyagi said.

“We made a mistake,” he acknowledged at a media conference.

As screenshots of the cellphone warning went viral on social media, Gabbard quickly tweeted that it was a “FALSE ALARM” with Hawaii’s EMA confirming there was NO missile threat to Hawaii.

US military spokesman David Benham later said US Pacific Command “has detected no ballistic missile threat to Hawaii. Earlier message was sent in error.”

The White House said President Donald Trump was briefed about the incident, calling the alert “purely a state exercise”.

Lauren McGowan, who was on holiday in Maui with family and friends, was heading for breakfast when the alert came through.

They returned to their hotel, where staff quickly took them to a basement cafeteria and distributed water and food, she said.

Andy Priest said on Twitter his parents thought they were going to die.

“My mom started to get up to go, and my dad told her that if it was their time to go, he wanted to be looking at the ocean and enjoying the view.”

Several golfers participating in the US PGA Tour’s Sony Open in Honolulu were caught up in the false alarm.

“Under mattresses in the bathtub with my wife, baby and inlaws,” American golfer John Peterson tweeted.

“Please lord let this bomb threat not be real.”

Trump had yet to react to the false warning. – AFP