It Was 5 Years Ago That A False Missile Alert Threw Hawaii Into A Panic

Hawaii News Now: 5 years ago today, a false missile alert threw Hawaii into a panic

HONOLULU

(HawaiiNewsNow) - Exactly five years ago on Friday, Hawaii residents and visitors woke up to a terrifying emergency alert on their cell phones that sent a wave of panic across the state.

The message warned of a ballistic missile heading for Hawaii.

It read, “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”

That was on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018.

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WNU Editor: In the 1970s I was a teenager playing soccer in the park when the air raid/missile alert system went on. In the few minutes that it took me to run home to turn on the radio to find out what was happening, I was totally overwhelmed with fear.

It was simply an exercise that no one bothered to tell us, but that fear is something that I will always remember.