2 months before the crisis.
The earth roars and shakes like God himself was unleashing his wrath on the planet.
Inside a deep underground bunker, the Supreme Leader giggles.
His chubby cheeks bounce up and down like Jell-O. Kim Jong-Un is giddy- his nation has
finally successfully tested a nuclear weapon in a deep underground test range.
His father made countless threats against the west, but he has the means to make good
on them at last.
He truly believes that he holds the power to bring the United States and its allies
to their knees.
1 month before the crisis.
Sirens wail across the islands of Hawaii.
Tourists stand from lounge chairs; their toes dig into the soft sand in anticipation.
Kai sits up on her surfboard and turns towards the shore, looking at the coconut trees rising
from the landscape.
Lono holds his breath while balancing five dirty plates from the restaurant table he
just cleared.
Everyone across the islands waits for instructions.
This is the first time the nuclear warning sirens have been tested since the Cold War.
But with the missile tests North Korea has been conducting across the Pacific, and the
unstable nature of their dictator, the Department of Defence decides it is time to make sure
the early warning system works properly.
The Hawaiian government and news outlets inform everyone repeatedly that this is only a test
to ensure that the population remains calm.
But people on vacation aren’t the best listeners.
There is mild nervousness that passes through the visitors on the beaches of Oahu.
After several blasts from the warning system, the shrill sound ceases.
The winds of the ocean disperse the echoes of the siren.
For a moment, the island is eerily quiet.
A wave crashes behind Kai, bringing her back to reality.
She pushes her board underwater to avoid being washed to shore.
Lono shakes his head and continues to the kitchen, where he drops off the plates in
a tub of soapy water.
He can’t believe that the nuclear warning system needs to be tested.
He wonders what kind of world we live in where firing nukes at one another is even an option.
Before he steps back out through the swinging doors, he pulls his cell phone out of his
pocket.
Using one hand, he types a message: Thinking of you.
That siren was eerie, right?
He hits the send button.
Lono knows his wife is out surfing on her day off.
They have only been married a few months, but he can’t imagine his life without her.
He slides the cell phone back into his pocket, grabs the next order, and heads back to work.
July 13th, 2018, 8:00 a.m.: 5 minutes before the crisis.
Fred walks into the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to begin his shift.
It is like any other day on the island.
The weather is beautiful, the temperature is perfect, and the constant sea breeze carries
fresh air across the landscape.
He has done this routine a thousand times and is on autopilot as he opens the door to
the computer room where his co-worker sits at a desk.
“Morning, Todd,” Fred says as he enters the room.
He takes a sip of his freshly brewed Kona coffee.
Todd stretches at the terminal as his long night shift comes to an end.
“How’s it going?”
Todd responds as he begins gathering his things.
“Living the dream,” Fred replies with a smile.
“Give my best to the wife and the kids.”
Todd heads out of the control room and leaves the building for a much-deserved day of rest.
Fred takes his seat, gulps down more coffee, and begins his shift monitoring the early
warning system.
8:04 a.m.: 1 minute before the crisis.
Fred pushes several buttons on the terminal keyboard.
Every day starts the same.
Before anything else, he must test the emergency missile-warning system to ensure everything
is in working order.
This responsibility falls on him and each of his co-workers whenever there is a shift
change.
The safety of everyone in Hawaii is literally in their hands.
Fred has done this procedure every day for years, and when he starts his shift, his body
takes over and automatically runs through the motions.
Fred reaches for the test initiation button, but as he moves his arm, he knocks his coffee
off the desk and onto his lap.
Fred yelps as the hot liquid soaks through his pants.
“It’s going to be one of those days,” he says to himself.
Frank shakes his head, wipes off his pants, and sits back down.
He can’t believe he is going to have to sit in wet coffee-smelling trousers all morning
until he gets his break.
Fred buzzes his lips and goes back to what he was doing.
His mind is not on the job anymore; it is on the coffee stain that makes it look like
he peed his pants.
8:05 a.m.: the crisis begins.
Kai walks through the quad at the University of Hawaii.
She is about to begin her first nursing class of the day.
This is her last semester, and then she will join the ranks of dedicated healthcare professionals
who save lives every day.
Before she enters the science building, she sends her husband a text.
Have a great day at work!
Can’t wait to go surfing with you later!
Fred initiates the testing of the emergency missile-warning system.
The prompt on the screen gives him two options.
The first: Test missile alert.
This is the option he has chosen every day of his career.
Today, however, Fred is distracted.
Instead of selecting the Test missile alert option, which sends a message internally to
the agency to ensure everything is working properly, Fred selects the choice below it:
Missile Alert.
The computer then prompts Fred asking him to confirm his choice.
Before he realizes his mistake, Fred clicks “yes.”
The moment his finger rises from the mouse, his stomach begins to sink.
It is at this point Fred realizes he has made a terrible mistake.
He stares at the screen in disbelief as his cell phone begins to buzz inside his pocket.
Lono’s phone vibrates on the counter.
He picks it up and glances at the message his wife sent him.
He smiles and puts the phone back down as he prepares to open the restaurant.
The moment his hand lets go of the cell phone, it begins to vibrate again.
Another message? he thinks.
Lono picks up the phone and stares at the screen.
He stops breathing.
His heart feels as if a boulder has been stacked on top of it.
He reads the message over and over again to make sure he is seeing things correctly.
He rips off his apron and runs to the door.
The only thing he can think is: I have to get to Kai.
8:07 a.m.: 2 minutes after the crisis begins.
Every cellphone around the islands of Hawaii receives the same message.
Ballistic missiles are inbound.
The moment people read the news, chaos breaks out.
Tourists run for their hotel rooms.
Residents start making plans to reach the nearest shelter.
A mix of confusion and terror fills the island.
People listening to their favorite radio station while commuting to work swerve to the side
of the road as the music cuts off and the inbound missile warning plays over the radio.
Patrons eating breakfast at their local diner stare at the TV screen as the old Elvis movie
turns to static and the emergency warning broadcast comes on the air.
Everyone rushes out of the restaurant without paying their bill as they think their lives
are about to end.
People scroll through social media to see if the threat is real or if this is all just
a terrible hoax.
Kai steps into her classroom to find her classmates stuffing their books and laptops into their
bags.
The professor runs past her, knocking her to the side with his shoulder.
“Ow,” Kai stammers.
“What is going on?” but no one will answer.
Everyone is too fixated on getting out of the room.
Kai gets an odd feeling that something terrible has happened.
She pulls out her cell phone, which she silenced before class, and looks at the screen in horror.
She has ten missed calls and seven text messages from Kai.
But it is the gray box at the top of her screen issuing the ballistic missile warning that
she can’t look away from.
Kai turns and races out of the classroom.
She scrolls through Lono’s text messages.
The last one says Meet me at Fort DeRussy.
Kai explodes out of the building.
There is panic and chaos spreading across the quad.
Students are crying; professors are shouting for everyone to seek shelter.
Kai sprints through the madness and towards the sandy beaches of Waikiki.
Lono runs down the street, dodging frightened tourists and residents.
He can hear the warning message blaring from hundreds of speakers and televisions: "If
you are outdoors, seek immediate shelter in a building.
Remain indoors, well away from windows.
If you are driving, pull safely to the side of the road and seek shelter in a building
while laying on the floor.
We'll announce when the threat has ended.
This is not a drill!"
Lono can see the turquoise waters of the Pacific just ahead of him.
He is only a few blocks away from the beach.
8:10 a.m.: 5 minutes after the crisis begins.
Major General Arthur Logan bursts into the computer room at the Hawaii Emergency Management
Agency.
Fred is frantically typing away at his terminal.
“What in the blazes is going on here?”
the director asks.
Fred is speechless.
The General moves the terrified employee out of the way and looks at the data coming in
from different satellites and radar stations scanning East Asia and the Pacific Ocean.
General Logan picks up the phone next to the desk.
“Get me U.S. Pacific Command,” he shouts into the receiver.
After several minutes he hangs up.
There are no indications that a missile was actually launched or that Hawaii is in any
danger.
However, the only people who know this at the moment are Major General Arthur Logan
and Fred.
“This was one big mess up, Fred.”
the General says.
“Get on the phone and notify Honolulu police that the warning was a false alarm.”
Even though it has only been a few minutes since the mistake, it is too late.
It will be several more minutes before word gets out to the public that there are no ballistic
missiles headed toward Hawaii.
Fred just prays that no one gets hurt in the chaos that has broken out across the islands.
His mistake may cause accidents to happen or lead people to make rash decisions out
of the belief that their lives are about to end.
Fred and everyone else at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency frantically begins to make
phone calls to reverse the damage that has already been done.
8:13 a.m.: 8 minutes after the crisis begins.
Lono watches as an elderly gentleman gets knocked to the ground.
The mob begins to trample him.
Lono knows that he needs to reach the park to meet up with Kai, but he can’t just let
the old man be battered under the feet of panicked tourists running back to their resorts.
Lono veers towards the injured man and pushes his way through the onslaught of people in
bathing suits and bikinis.
He reaches the old man, who is covering his head with both arms trying to protect himself.
Lono reaches down and picks him up.
He wraps the gentleman’s arm over his shoulder and helps him reach a nearby bench.
The old man sits down, breathing heavily.
“Mahalo,” the man says.
Lono tries to smile.
“I’ll be alright,” you better get to safety, the old man says with a gentle smile.
Lono nods and runs towards Fort DeRussy Park to meet Kai.
The State Warning Point receives word that the incoming missile message is a false alarm.
They issue a cancellation of the alert, which prevents it from being rebroadcast across
the islands.
This does not reverse the damage already done, but it does mean anyone who has not already
received the message will not be given further false information.
This could slow the panic, but as the employees look out the window, they see smoke rising
from Honolulu.
A fire has broken out.
Emergency responders rush to put the flames out while dodging hysteric people running
through the streets.
Even if there is no missile strike, the devastation to the islands could be immense.
And the longer it takes for word to reach the public that this is just a false alarm,
the more damage will be done.
8:19 a.m.: 14 minutes after the crisis begins.
Kai feels her phone vibrate in her pocket.
She ignores it.
The only thing that matters is reaching Fort DeRussy Park, where she will be reunited with
Lono.
She can see the waves crash against the stone breakers jutting out from the shore.
The salty mist from the ocean whisps against her face.
The park is only a block away now.
She spots the gnarled roots of one of the Banyan Trees just ahead.
She thinks back to one of the first dates she went on with Lono, where they climbed
this very tree and talked for hours.
This is where she will find her husband, and they can be together even if it is the end
of the world.
Representative Tulsi Gabbard receives word that there is no missile threat and that the
warning is a false alarm.
She immediately tweets out the good news in hopes it gets to people quickly to calm the
storm of anxiety sweeping across the islands.
The message reaches some, but not everyone.
Lono spots Kai entering the park.
He has a cramp in his side from sprinting nonstop for several blocks.
He puts his head down and runs faster, pushing his body as far as it will go.
If he is to die, he will die with the love of his life in his arms.
Thousands of people across the Hawaiian islands are rushing to reach their loved ones.
Even though the warning message has been canceled, and officials are beginning to use social
media to inform the public that the warning message was a mistake, many still believe
the threat is very real.
8:20 a.m.: 15 minutes after the crisis begins.
Kai sees Lono running towards her.
She changes her direction to meet him.
They fall into each other's arms and collapse onto the grass of the park.
For a moment, nothing else matters.
Tears fall down the young lovers’ faces.
After a few moments, they stand up.
Lono takes Kai’s hand in his, and they continue towards the shelter at the far end of the
park, unsure of if they will make it in time.
8:24 a.m.: 19 minutes after the crisis begins.
Hawaii Governor David Ige retweets the cancellation notice that the Hawaii Emergency Management
Agency has just released.
Now, most of the island's political officials and government agencies know the whole thing
was a mistake.
As more and more people begin to check their phones for information about the imminent
threat, they discover that the warning is a false alarm.
A collective sigh of relief is released across the islands.
But not everyone knows the missiles heading toward Hawaii are not real.
When the initial warning went out, it was very clear that this was not a drill.
People are still seeking shelter anywhere they can.
Families pile into their bathtubs; workers head into the basement of their buildings;
tourists cower in their hotel rooms.
Thousands and thousands of text messages are sent to family and friends around the world,
telling them that they are loved.
Even people not on the islands of Hawaii are panicking.
They are still not sure if the missiles are real or not.
Does this mean World War III is about to break out?
What will happen to the people they know who are currently on the islands of Hawaii?
As people do more digging into the crisis, they come across reliable sources that state
the missile warning was a false alarm.
Things are slowly returning to normal.
8:34 a.m.: 29 minutes after the crisis begins.
U.S. Pacific Command confirms that there are absolutely no missiles heading toward Hawaii
and that the alert was sent in error.
For many, it is astonishing that it took this long to confirm such a thing, but sometimes
even the military works slowly.
After Kai and Lono find shelter, they check their phones.
They each received messages from their families.
By the end of the numerous texts, it becomes clear that the missile warning was not real.
Even though they will not perish in a nuclear explosion today, the two lovers embrace as
they think about how quickly life can end.
They walk towards the ocean and let the waves break against them.
They watch as a sea turtle swims by followed by a school of fish picking algae off its
shell.
The islands of Hawaii are once again becoming enveloped in the tranquility of paradise.
8:43 a.m.: 38 minutes after the crisis begins, it ends with another message from the Hawaii
Emergency Management Agency.
For 38 terrifying minutes, much of the population across the islands of Hawaii was terrified
that their lives were about to end.
It isn’t until the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency sends a second message that the crisis
officially is over.
The same message is broadcast via television and radio to spread the good news as quickly
as possible.
For the rest of the day, people call and message their loved ones.
A renewed sense of importance is given to the ones they care about.
Tragically there were people injured in the chaos caused by the false missile alert, and
the CDC would later conduct a study on the effects of such a traumatic experience on
the people living on the islands.
It comes as no surprise that the stress and anxiety levels of people living in an area
that might be targeted by North Korean missiles are exceedingly high.
A few days after the crisis ends.
An internal investigation is undertaken into the procedures and systems at the Hawaii Emergency
Management Agency.
Fred resigned from his position, likely with the encouragement of his superiors and the
U.S. Department of Defense.
The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency decides to suspend all further warning-system tests
until the investigation is complete to prevent another false alarm from being sent out to
the populace.
The real fear is that if an actual missile threat is launched at Hawaii and the warning
is sent out, people will ignore it.
They have lived through one terrifying fake missile crisis and will not be fooled by another
Hawaii Emergency Management Agency mishap.
Unfortunately, if the threat is real and people believe it is just another false alarm, it
could lead to the unnecessary deaths of a massive number of people.
After the investigation is completed, a new test system is put into place.
Now a two-person confirmation procedure has been implemented to prevent a false alarm
from ever happening again.
A new system has been designed to rapidly issue alerts and cancellations so that if
a mistake is made, people will not have to wait 38 minutes to receive updates on what
is actually going on.
Kai, Lono, and the rest of the people in Hawaii can now be sure that if they receive an incoming
ballistic missile warning, the threat is a real one.
They should immediately seek shelter while the rest of the world prepares for war.
Now watch What If North Korea Launched a Nuclear Bomb (Minute by Minute).
Or check out “How One Soldier Saved Humanity From Extinction.”