HE IS EXPECTED TO TAKE QUESTIONS
IN A BIT.
BRIDGETTE NAMATA IS STANDING BY
AT THE CAPITOL.
WE'LL CHECK BACK WITH HER TO SEE
IF THE GOVERNOR ADDS ANYTHING
NEWS.
THE STATE SAID SATURDAY WAITING
FOR APPROVAL WAS ONE OF THE
REASONS IT TOOK SO LONG TO ISSUE
A CANCELLATION.
GINGINA MAN JEERRY LEARNED THAT WAS
NOT TRUE.
FEMA TOLD ME NOT ONLY IS
THEIR PERMISSION AND APPROVAL
NOT NEEDED FOR MESSAGES BUT IT'S
BEEN THAT WAY EVER SINCE THE
STATE APPLIED TO USES THE WIRE
IT'S SYSTEM SIX YEARS AGO.
THE STATE TELLS ME IT WAS
SEEKING FEMA'S ADVICE AND NOT
APPROVAL BEFORE SENDING THE ALL
CLEAR 38 MINUTES LATER.
THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
AGENCY PROVIDES A SYSTEM CALLED
IPAUSE.
THINK OF IT AS A BACKBONE THEN
LATCH ON TO BUT HAVE TO BUILD OR
PIE SOFTWARE TO WRITE AND
BROADCAST ALERTS.
MESSAGES LIKE THE FAILS MINIMUM
MISSILE THREATS.
THE STATE SAID SATURDAY THEY HAD
TO WAIT FOR FEDERAL APPROVAL TO
TEXT FALSE ALARM THROUGH THE
IPAZ MASS ALERT SYSTEM.
AT 8:45 A.M., THEY ISSUED A
CIVIL ALERT MESSAGE THAT
VERBALLY ALERTED PEOPLE THIS WAS -- A MISSILE WAS NOT IN
COMES AND THIS WAS A FAULTS
ALARM.
Reporter: I WENT TO FEMA AND
FOUND MESSAGING IS LOCALLY, NOT
FEDERALLY CONTROLLED.
I CHECKED WITH FEMA WHO SAID
FEMA APPROVAL WAS NOT REQUIRED
AND THEY COULD HAVE CANCELED THE
OR RETRACTED THE FALSE WARNING
WITHOUT WAITING FOR FEMA.
THE STATE TOLD US THAT'S WHERE
THEY LOST TIME.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?
EVEN IF THERE WERE SOME RULES
TO GO BACK TO FEMA, SOMEBODY
OUGHT TO HAVE USED THEIR
JUDGMENT TO RETRACT IT.
Reporter: I ASKED WHY THE
DISCREPANCY.
I'M IN I'M NOT GOING TO SAY IT'S
NEEDED.
BUT THE ANSWER WASN'T CLEAR TO
US AT THE TIME.
Reporter: WHERE CAST IT AS
AN AUTHORIZATION AND APPROVAL
NEEDED ON SATURDAY?
I THINK THERE WAS SOME
CONFUSION AT THE TIME.
IT CHARACTERIZED THINGS IN A WAY
THAT WAS FAST OR CONVENIENT AS
OPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW, ABSOLUTELY
CAREFULLY WORDRD.
Reporter: THEY CALLED FEMA
ON HOW TO DISTRIBUTE THE ALL
CLEAR, ASKING FOR HELP, NOT
PERMISSION.
IT WASN'T ABSOLUTELY CLEAR
WHAT THE APPROPRIATE CHANNEL WAS
TO SEND A MESSAGE OUT.
Reporter: WHY TAKE THE TIME
TO ASK APPROPRIATE, AGAIN, WHEN
THE MOST INAPPROPRIATE HAD JUST
HAPPENED.
AT THAT POINT, THERE'S AN
ARGUMENT MAYBE YOU DON'T WANT TO
ADD INSULT TO INJURY.
START TRYING ONE THING AFTER
ANOTHER.
Reporter: FEMA TELLS ME
THEY'RE IN CONTACT WITH THE THE
STATE OF HAWAI'I.
AND THE FCC GATHERING MORE
DETAILS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS'
CURD.
FEMA TRIES TO HEAD OFF THIS
MISTAKES WITH STANDARD GUIDANCE
SUCH AS THIS FIELD GUIDE TO
BUILD THEIR FRONT AND INTERFACES
WITH AN EASILY ACCESSED CANCEL
FUNCTION.
WHEN YOU SEE THAT FROM FEMA
DATING BACK YEARS, WHAT DO YOU
THINK?
IT'S OUTRAGEOUS.
THE IDEA THEY HAD DIFFICULTY
RETRACTING THIS MESSAGE, WHICH
CAUSED EVERYBODY TO PANIC
THOUGHS -- SHOWS THEY HADN'T
THOUGHT THIS THROUGH.
THEY WERE NOT READY FOR PRIMING
TIME.
AND THAT'S WHAT THIS WAS.
Reporter: AS TO WHY OTHER
AGENCIES HERE WHO KNEW IT WAS
FALSE COULDN'T TRIGGER A
CORRECTION WHILE THEY WAITED.
HAWAI'I IS ONE OF ONLY A HANDFUL
OF STATES THAT HAVE ONLY ONE
AGENCY.
SIGNED UP TO USE IPAUSE.
IN THE VAST MAJORITY OF STATES,