New boss for Hawaii emergency unit

HAWAII appointed a retired Navy captain to lead an overhaul of the state Emergency Management Agency two months after an employee mistakenly sent an alert warning of a ballistic missile attack.

Thomas Travis has commanded a submarine squadron and was deputy commander of an aircraft carrier strike group. Travis served as the studies director of the Joint Center for Operational Analysis, where he helped prepare a report on the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina.

The false missile alert sent to cell phones and airwaves in January triggered widespread panic and led to the ouster of the agency’s senior leadership.

Travis declined to comment on what went wrong with the missile alert, telling reporters he’s read the reports on the incident but hasn’t investigated the issue himself.