SUNDAY MARKS THE ONE-YEAR
ANNIVERSARY OF A FALSE MISSILE
ALERT THAT HAD PEOPLE ACROSS
HAWAII IN A STATE OF FEAR FOR A
TERRIFYING 38 MINUTES.
MARISA:
GINA MANGIERI IS ALWAYS
INVESTIGATING AND LOOKS AT
WHAT'S CHANGED .. AND WHAT'S
STILL LEFT AS
LOOSE ENDS?
GINA ON CAM INTRO:
THE HAWAII EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
AGENCY NO LONGER RUNS TESTS AND
DRILLS ABOUT MISSILE
ALERTS. THEY'RE STILL THE ONES
TASKED WITH LETTING US KNOW
ABOUT REAL DISASTERS THOUGH,
AND STILL A YEAR ON THERE ARE
HOLES IN THE LOCAL AND NATIONAL
SYSTEM YET TO PATCH.
JANUARY 13TH, 2018 WENT FROM A
NORMAL WEEKEND DAY TO A
STATEWIDE PANIC AFTER WHAT WAS
SUPPOSED TO BE AN INSIDE DRILL
AT THE STATE WARNING POINT
ACCIDENTALLY BLASTED OUT AS THE
REAL DEAL -- MISSILE INCOMING AS
THOUGH IT WAS NOT A TEST. THE
STATE HAD NOT SET UP ITS MESSAGE
SOFTWARE WITH A FUNCTION TO
RETRACT OR SEND A QUICK
CORRECTION
GINA: GOING INTO IT HAD THERE
BEEN ANY THOUGHT AT THE
ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL OF OK WE'RE
GOING TO PRACTICE THIS TRULY
WORST
THING THAT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU
ALERT, BUT WHAT IF IT WENT
WRONG, WHAT IF WE CALLED IT
WRONG?"
HI-EMA'S TOM TRAVIS: "I DO NOT
KNOW, I PERSONALLY CAN'T SAY
THAT WASN'T DISCUSSED. IF I MOVE
AHEAD I WILL CONSIDER ALL
RISKS."
TODAY THEY HAVE A RETRACTION
FUNCTION, BUT LAST YEAR FIGURING
OUT A WORKAROUND TOOK MORE THAN
A HALF HOUR WHILE MANY
ACROSS THE STATE HUGGED AND
KISSED LOVED ONES OR MADE FINAL
GOODBYE CALLS.
HEADS ROLLED, THE ALERT SENDER
WAS DUBBED THE BUTTON PUSHER --
HE SAYS HE DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS A
DRILL ONLY HEARD THE INSTRUCTION
THREATS.
GINA: "DID HE BELIEVE THAT THERE
WAS AN INCOMING MISSILE THAT
DAY? MG 1000%
"HE WAS A SUPERVISOR FOR YEARS,
HE DIDN'T TAKE STUPID PILLS ALL
OF A SUDDEN"
"HE SAID THIS IS WHAT I HEARD,
PEOPLE SAID DIFFERENT THINGS,
PEOPLE WERE GETTING FIRED. IT
WAS JUST THAT EVERYTHING WAS
POINTING
AT HIM."
LAWMAKERS FROM HERE TO
WASHINGTON DEMANDED
INVESTIGATIONS. LEADERSHIP AT
THE DISASTER AGENCY WAS
OVERHAULED.
HI-EMA'S TOM TRAVIS: "THE
MISSILE ALERT WAS VERY
UNFORTUNATE TO MANY PEOPLE. IT
WAS APPROPRIATE THAT THE HAWAII
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
LOOKED AT ITSELF VERY VERY
CLOSELY AND THAT IT WAS LOOKED
AT CLOSELY BY AUTHORITIES ABOVE
US." A GOVERNOR-ORDERED
INVESTIGATION AND REPORT LED TO
CHANGES IN STRUCTURE AND
WORKFLOW, NAMELY THEY'RE NOT
PRACTICING MISSILE DRILLS, AND
VERY FEW THINGS HAVE A TEMPLATE
READY TO GO IN THE ALERT
SYSTEM... JUST A HANDFUL OF
NATURAL AND WEATHER EVENTS.
SOME LAWMAKERS ARE STILL ASKING
QUESTIONS, INCLUDING
REPRESENTATIVE GENE WARD WHO
DEMANDED MORE ANSWERS
FROM THE GOVERNOR LAST YEAR A
CONTENTIOUS CAPITOL HEARING ON
THE ALERT. HE ASKED FOR VIDEO
SURVEILLANCE, HIEMA SAYS THE
SYSTEM VIEWS BUT DOESN'T RECORD.
HE ASKED FOR AUDIO TAPES, HIEMA
RELEASED ONLY THE TEST MESSAGE
THAT USED
INTERNALLY FOR THE DRILL BEFORE
THE MESSAGE WENT OUT.
00;17;37;24 I THINK FOR SURE IF
WE GET OUT OF THE MISSILE ALERT
BUSINESS, GIVE IT TO THE FEDS,
THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. I
DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY PLACE IN
HISTORY WHERE SUCH A SCARE HAS
BEEN GIVEN TO SUCH A LARGE
AMOUNT OF PEOPLE 17:48 AN F-C-C
INVESTIGATION FOUND HOLES IN HOW
AND WHETHER VARIOUS CELLULAR
NETWORKS RECEIVE AND SEND
EMERGENCY
ALERTS -- MANY IN HAWAII NEVER
GOT THE INITIAL ALERT, HAD IT OR
A FUTURE EVENT BEEN THE REAL
DEAL.
STILL UNDONE -- A REPORT TO THE
STATE LEGISLATURE THAT LAWMAKERS
ASKED FOR LAST SESSION THAT
CALLED FOR A REVIEW
BY A COUPLE DOZEN AGENCIES AND
OFFICIALS.
HI-EMA'S TOM TRAVIS: "INCLUDING
PEOPLE FROM THE GOVERNOR'S
OFFICE, COMMANDER OF THE PACIFIC
FLEET, PRESIDENT OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF
HAWAII, BRING SOME VERY
INFLUENTIAL AND RESPONSIBLE
PEOPLE AND TO HAVE THEM REVIEW
HOW WE STOOD IN PREPAREDNESS TO
HANDLE
THESE THINGS. AS YOU CAN IMAGINE
THAT PROCESS WOULD TAKE SOME
TIME TO GET THAT GROUP PEOPLE
TOGETHER
GINA: "HAVE THEY COME TOGETHER?"
TOM: "NO AND THE ANSWER IS WE
DIDN'T HAVE TOME TO COORDINATE
IT BECAUSE OF THE EVENTS THIS
SUMMER."
GINA:
HE'S REFERRING TO A VERY BUSY
YEAR WITH FLOODS, LAVA AND A
SLEW OF HURRICANE AND
TROPICAL STORM EMERGENCIES.
HI-EMA HAS ASKED FOR AN
EXTENSION UNTIL DECEMBER 2019
FOR
THAT REPORT.
SOME IN CONGRESS WANT THE
MILITARY TO TAKE OVER ANY ALERTS
HAVING TO DO WITH SUCH
MANMADE DISASTERS, THAT'S STILL
PENDING, SO IF A MISSILE IS
WILL STILL HAVE TO BE THE ONES
TO TELL US.
BACK TO YOU.
DASH