EMERGENCY ALERTS ON YOUR
PHONE A LOT AUTHORITIES TO SEND
YOU DIRECT WARNINGS IN CASES OF
POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING
INCIDENTS.
Reporter: RECENTLY, THERE'VE
BEEN INSTANCES WITH ERRONEOUS
ALERTS BEING SENT WITH LARGE
LIKE TIMES.
INVESTIGATORS LOOK AT HOW THIS
MESSAGES ARE CREATED AND HOW
OFFICIALS WORK TO PREVENT FALSE
ALERTS.
Reporter: SO, YOU'RE GOING
ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS.
ABOUT TO HAVE YOUR LUNCH WHEN
SUDDENLY, YOU CAN ALERT ON YOUR
PHONE.
WE DID NOT WANT TO CREATE
ANXIETY THE SHORT MESSAGE WHICH
COULD APPLY A NATIONAL
EMERGENCY BUT LET'S TAKE YOU
BACK TO 1971.
FEBRUARY 20th, 1971.
WIRE SERVICE TELETYPES ACROSS
THE COUNTRY SPIT OUT THIS
URGENT MESSAGE.
THE COUNTRY WAS UNDER ATTACK.
FOR MORE THAN 40 TERRIFYING
MINUTES, THE COUNTRY THOUGHT
THAT WAS ARMAGEDDON WAS
IMMINENT.
FINALLY, RECALL MESSAGE WAS
SENT AND ALL CLEAR GIVEN.
AN INVESTIGATION FOUND A
TECHNICIAN IN CHINA NOT IN
INSERTED THE WRONG TAPE INTO
THE MACHINE INSTEAD OF A TEST
MESSAGE.
IT'S IN THE REAL DEAL.
THE GOVERNMENT REVAMP THE
SYSTEM AND PROCEDURES.
ON A SATURDAY MORNING IN
JANUARY OF 2018, ONCE AGAIN, A
TOLLIVER HAWAII FRIGHTEN FOLKS
INTO THINKING A MISSILE ATTACK
WAS IMMINENT.
CHILDREN REPLACING MANHOLES FOR
PROTECTION, FOLKS RUNNING IN
FEAR.
THE PANIC ACID THAT AN
UNOFFICIAL ALL CLEAR WAS ISSUED
30 MINUTES LATER.
ONCE AGAIN, AN INVESTIGATION OF
THAT AN EMPLOYEE THE MAJESTIC
MEDICATION CENTER WAS SUPPOSED
TO SEND OUT A DRILL MESSAGE BUT
MISUNDERSTOOD AND SENT OUT THE
MESSAGE AS A REAL ALERT.
IT WAS CONFUSING ON WHO IS
IN CHARGE, WAS GIVING OUT THE
ORDERS.
WHO SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW-UP AND
DO THE PROCEDURE.
Reporter: LAST MONTH, A
MISTAKEN WIRELESS ALERTS IS
THERE WAS A PROBLEM IN THE
CANADIAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT.
AGAIN, THE ART WAS RECALLED BUT
NOT BEFORE CAUSING A LOT OF
ANXIETY.
CAN THESE ERRORS HAPPEN HERE?
THERE ARE VERY FEW STATE
AGENCIES THAT ARE AUTHORIZED TO
SEND A MESSAGE.
Reporter: WEA, THE WIRELESS
EMERGENCY ALERT THAT APPEARS ON
YOUR PHONE STARTS RIGHT HERE IN
THIS COMMAND CENTER.
ONE SAFEGUARD IS THAT TWO
PEOPLE WORKING IN THIS ROOM AT
ALL TIMES.
THEY HAVE TO COORDINATE WITH
EACH OTHER BEFORE A MESSAGE IS
SENT.
BUT MISTAKES DO HAPPEN.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018, THE
SILENCE SURROUNDING THE HARRIS
NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
ACCIDENTALLY WENT OFF.
THAT ERRONEOUS WARNING NEVER
MADE IT TO OUR PHONES AS A PUSH
A BECAUSE THE FOLKS AT THE WPA
COMMAND CENTER WERE NEVER
NOTIFIED.
AND THEY WARNING ABOUT A
NUCLEAR POWER PLANT INCIDENT
HAS THE PASTOR A LOT OF HANDS.
THERE ALL INVOLVED IN THAT
PROCESS.
Reporter: THE STATE ALSO
DISSECTED WHAT WENT WRONG WITH
THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN ONTARIO,
CANADA AND IN HAWAII.
THEY LEARNED A LOT FROM THAT
ERROR.
THE COOL THING ABOUT IT IS THAT
BIGOTS ALSO LEARN.
Reporter: IN ANY OF THESE
CASES THAT WE LEARNED ABOUT, IT
WAS A LONG TIME BETWEEN THE
ERRONEOUS WARNING OF THE
CORRECTION MESSAGE.
THE STATE THINKS IT CAN QUICKLY
RECTIFY A MISTAKE SHOULD IT
HAPPEN HERE.
HOWEVER LONG IT TAKES TO
TYPE THE MESSAGE.
MOMENTS IS ACCURATE.
Reporter: ALL MESSAGES LIKE
THAT INCLUDE THE PHRASE LIKE
THIS IS ONLY A TEST.
THE MESSAGE GOES PUBLIC, PEOPLE