By now, most here have probably read, seen or heard about the false incoming ballistic missile alert yesterday in Hawaii. Reading through the various news stories, the common theme was the panic that set in for most people. Perhaps this badly misguided test will prompt some to be more prepared in the event that the next alert is actually real.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hawaii-missile-alert-test-goes-wrong-terrifies-state-n837551

https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/13/politics/hawaii-missile-threat-false-alarm/index.html

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alb...rticle37598703/

http://beta.latimes.com/nation/la-na-hawaii-missile-alert-20180113-story.html#nt=oft12aH-1gp2

It's pretty messed up. The reason given was that someone pressed the wrong button?! I would've hoped the procedure to start mass panic was a little more involved.

Probably the reaction of many,not all, hopefully, will be to blow it off as another false alarm.

It strikes me as a software design problem. In industry, the Emergency Shutdown button on the control screens for, say, a refinery, will have second "confirm and execute" popup screen. You don't want to have the ability to execute control actions that have major consequences without confirmation. Sort of a "two key" approach (bad joke!).

They did mention "Miyagi, a retired Army two-star general, then explained that an individual on his team sent the alert in error, even clicking through a redundancy on a computer screen intended to act as a safeguard from such a mistake."

So there was a check on it, but if the test drill looks a lot like the real thing; it easy to mix the real and test versions. If they look too differently; the training wouldn't be accurate. So there is always a tension between looking real enough, while still obviously not real.

hopefully they will get that sorted out.
the publicity will probably help them - not sure how many people in Hawaii are actually taking this seriously.

Some of the same issues were at play here during the Montecito mudslides. The timing and strength of the storm were accurately predicted days in advance. Flash floods and mudslides are common events following a fire that incinerates whole watersheds, as did the Thomas Fire.

Nontheless, many people, when informed they were in a mandatory evacuation zone and that a flood was imminent, elected to stay. Many had been out of their homes for a week or more. The debris flow hit in the early morning hours and exceeded all predictions. Severe damage and fatalities occurred in voluntary evac zones.

Me and Mrs. Hikermor were in a voluntary evac zone for that same event. I was confident we would not be flooded, and I was right, but emotionally, I had the same reaction -'No, not again! I ain't leavin'!!"

Spent today on chores around the house. I am fortunate to be able to say that....

Those Hawaii folks just need a melamine desk to hide under.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKOctWC9sIA

Haywood Banks

I think that this False Alert was actually an excellent development. Because it shows how well the "real system" will work, if there is a real nuclear alert in Hawaii. And what we see from the results ... is ZERO percent success. The following news shows why ...

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Everyone was seriously thinking ‘is this my last moment on earth?'” says Gold. “People were texting their homes and telling people they loved them. People were crying.”
“Where do you hide from a nuclear attack?” asks Gold. “So, everyone just kind of milled around and asked each other where they were going and ultimately we settled on an interior conference room – sort of as far away from the outside as possible but we recognized it would probably be pretty weak shelter from a nuclear attack. But it was the best we could do.”
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So when people got the warning, none of them actually went to a real disaster shelter. Instead, they all stood around gabbing about it on their cell phones. That pretty much guarantees maximum casualties.

Any of these people could have found the closest basement, or underground level of a parking garage. Anything that's underground is way better than being at surface level.

I have mentioned this problem before on this forum.
Internet Paralysis.
People are so hooked on texting and social media, they would rather chat about "how they feel" about a situation, instead of actually taking real steps to protect their lives.

Unless Hawaii holds mandatory drills, and actually shows people where to go - and tells them to get their rear ends moving during a real crisis - the effectiveness is going to be zero.

All the best plans are for nought if they do not take into account real human behavior.