Facebook post from a friend in Hawaii (Oahu) during yesterday's false alarm...

[tenderfoot]

Only God knows when is our last day on earth, but we live our lives like we’re only gonna die when we get to our 80’s or 90’s.

This morning we woke up to a loud alarm on our phones with a message saying that there was a ballistic missile coming to Hawaii and that we needed to seek shelter immediately. However, there was nothing we could do besides praying and waiting the approximately 15 minutes that would take a missile to reach Hawaii from North Korea.

I had a feeling we would survive but I wasn’t ready for all the lives that would be lost and the caos of a third world war that would be started this morning if that threat wasn’t a FALSE ALARM! Seriously!? How does that happen!?

Apparently they were testing the emergency communication system in Hawaii and they were supposed to send a TEST message. Who even drafts a message that says “THIS IS NOT A DRILL!” when planning on sending a TEST message!?

Someone is getting fired today... It took them almost 40 minutes to send a second message saying that it was a mistake. How long does it take to write a message saying “Oops, just kitting guys, no missile coming, enjoy the beach. Aloha!”

I must say, I’m glad to be alive and that nothing happened, but it’s sad to think that this is the world we live today and that tomorrow this same message can show up on our phones again, but it probably won’t a false alarm again...

[SWBTATTReg]

1. Wow...just wow...

what a scary feeling to have...thank god nothing happened...

[AlexSFCA]

2. wouldnt a missile be intercepted before reaching our soil?

I thought US is supposed to shoot it down above the sea.

[MineralMan]

4. Almost certainly not.

While we do have some anti-ballistic-missile defensive weaponry, it is not really available for use. We've tested it, but have not deployed it. If we do finally deploy some system, it will be deployed to protect major cities in the CONUS, not Hawaii.

So, the answer to your question is no. We can't do that on short notice.

[BigmanPigman]

6. I heard that they do have them ready

on CNN yesterday. Maybe they are lying to give us a false sense of security.

[MineralMan]

7. If they do, they should have knocked a couple of NK tests out of the sky.

They have not done so. I think they are not ready.

Our anti-missile system has not been tested in any real situation. If they have it set up near North Korea, I suggest they take every test missile as a target, just to demonstrate that it all works. Why they have not done so gives me the feeling that we're not really ready to do that.

[Pope George Ringo II]

9. Given the military presence there, I'd have assumed some capability

I'm not sure about readiness, but considering the military value of Pearl Harbor a fixed defense they haven't told us about is quite possible. And it doesn't strike me as unreasonable to expect one of the test ships to be nearby.

There's also an argument for not interfering with the NK tests even if we can because we learn things just monitoring them, both about the missiles and about Russian radar capabilities.

[MineralMan]

11. It's never a good idea to assume anything about our military readiness.

We have theoretical capabilities, and anti-ballistic-missile defenses have been successfully tested on planned targets.

Where any such defenses are deployed is unknown, though, and nobody knows how ready they are to defend against an unplanned attack. Unless they are ready for immediate launch, 24/7, in the area that experiences an attack, the defensive system is not really ready.

I have no information on deployment of such defensive systems, nor on their readiness for use. My best guess, though, is that they are not in a round-the-clock readiness status near most potential targets. If they are deployed at all, they are probably somewhere near North Korea, itself, and are more likely be set to defend Japan and Guam, primarily.

I do not have any confidence that we have multiple systems available for deployment for this type of defense. So, I'd put the odds strongly against a defensive deployment near Hawaii.

[Pope George Ringo II]

15. Well, we can assume, we just can't plan too much on those assumptions.

But what the Russians have been saying about their radar observations has been very informative and very worrying. And the NK tests haven't all gone according to plan, although at least the rocket tests haven't collapsed any mountains. Letting the tests proceed because we learn a bunch ourselves is both viable and what we're apparently doing.

But I would point out that we know the testing involved the John Paul Jones shooting down an intermediate-range ballistic missile launched from Hawaii. It's a long way from testing to having launchers full of invulnerability, but it has to be shorter in the place we're doing the testing.

[Lurks Often]

19. Why waste a missile on a NK missile we know is going to hit empty ocean?

I have little doubt NORAD knows where a NK missile (presuming no malfunctions) is going to land within minutes of its launch.

[Lurks Often]

18. There are 2 components to the US anti-missile forces, land based and sea based

Operational:
The sea based system is composed of selected* Aegis equipped cruisers and destroyers carrying the Standard Missile 3. Japan is also beginning to receive these missiles for their Aegis equipped destroyers.

The land based system is in 2 parts: the improved Patriot PAC-3 (also used by Japan) and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) which has a longer range then the Patriot PAC-3 & Standard Missile 3.

So it is very likely there would have been at least 1 ship and probably a couple of Patriot units based in Hawaii that could have attempted to intercept the incoming missile if it had been real.

Not operational:
There are also silo based missiles in Alaska and California, but those are not considered operational: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground-Based_Midcourse_Defense due to reoccurring problems.

*Currently the US Navy should have 39 ships equipped if they have been upgrading 2 per year as the link suggests:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegis_Ballistic_Missile_Defense_System#U.S._Navy_Aegis_BMD_Vessels

[Irish_Dem]

8. The US does have a missile defense system, but no one really knows if it will work or not. nt

[Hassin Bin Sober]

3. "However, there was nothing we could do besides praying"

I kinda liked the manhole shelter idea.

[MineralMan]

5. Well, it would save time in burying people, I suppose.

In reality, though, it wouldn't provide a lot of protection anywhere near ground zero.

[moriah]

10. You seem the type to appreciate British dark humor...

... so have you seen "When The Wind Blows?"

Jim: I wonder if it's true about the paper bags. Or is it a joke? I never know if it's just a joke or not.

Hilda: What's that, dear?

Jim: Well, they say you should get into a paper bag just before the bomb goes off.

Hilda: Whatever for?

Jim: I suppose it's like the white paint. It er... deflects the heat a bit.

[MineralMan]

12. LOL! British humor is different, for sure.

I saw that Dad putting his kids down the manhole. My first thought was, "What does that manhole access?" A sewer main? A storm drain system? An electrical substation or transformer? What's down a manhole is not typically a very safe or hospitable place, really. I've been down a few.

[moriah]

16. I really recommend watching it if you can.

It was an 80s movie version of a comic book format story addressing of the realities of nuclear war compared to conventional, from the perspective of an elderly couple who lived through WWII in Britain.

As such, yes, you start out laughing. But... especially if you are younger and have fond memories of parents or grandparents who aren't really up on technology, it's almost as powerful as Testament. Given the audience and time, it was probably pretty moving for the children and grandchildren of the "Greatest Generation".

The movie has songs from David Bowie and Roger Waters, and is very very good.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

17. Well that's the big question. Where is ground zero?

If it's 10 miles away, you'll be much better off than some putz standing around praying. The guy standing around gets to live blind and burned -- wishing he was dead.

Easy for us to joke about but that was somebody trying to save their kids.

[withoutapaddle]

13. Solidarity with our brothers and sisters in HI

last words of their post "it’s sad to think that this is the world we live today and that tomorrow this same message can show up on our phones again, but it probably won’t a false alarm again..."

living in fear is not living. living in fear is not liberty. living in fear is not freedom.

[Vinca]

14. I can't imagine how scary that must have been.

I love Hawaii and it's so sad they're having to live through this Trumpian nightmare of comparing bigger buttons.

[Cha]

20. Well done! Mahalo, tenderfoot, for

this FB post on it from your friend.

I slept through the whole thing.. woke about 9ish and my cell was turned off.

I'm so sorry many had to go through those devastating thoughts. I talked to my friends yesterday and they had all texted their loved ones goodbye messages.

[bdamomma]

21. the whole incident

was horrifying do you realize he was on the golf course and didn't do shit!!! The fucking man has to go!!!!!!!