When Hawaii Ducked and Covered
Part of Heroes and Hiccups: True Stories about Nuclear Weapon Risks
False alarm
At 8 am one Saturday in early 2018, Hawaii residents and visitors woke up to an emergency alert text message that read: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” Panic ensued, and people shared final words with loved ones.
Thirty-eight terrifying minutes later, the alert was corrected. An emergency worker conducting a drill had accidentally chosen the wrong option in a dropdown menu.
More Resources
Timeline of the Hawaii false missile alert shows how drill went wrong | CNN
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When Yeltsin Reached for the Nuclear Briefcase
