The Hawaii Emergency Management worker who mistakenly sent out the inaccurate missile warning has been reassigned to a new position.
It was not revealed what the unidentified person’s new responsibilities will be, but it was made clear that they will not be in a department where they can risk making the same mistake again.
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“All we will say is that the individual has been temporarily reassigned within our Emergency Operations Center pending the outcome of our internal investigation, and it is currently in a role that does not provide access to the warning system,” HEMS spokesperson Richard Rapoza said.
It was also reported by NBC News that many HEMS employees have received death threats because of the accidental message.
When the accidental missile threat message was sent out to citizens of Hawaii on Saturday, police delayed their cancellation of the message and many wondered why.
According to a new report, shortly after the message went out, Hawaii law enforcement officials were told that the message was “just a drill.”
The day after the incident, Hawaii’s governor, David Ige released a statement explaining what happened.
“On Saturday, Hawai’i’s residents and visitors experienced an unfortunate situation that has never happened before and will never happen again – a false alert issued by the Hawai’i Emergency Management Agency that a ballistic missile was on its way to the Hawaiian Islands,” the statement began.
“On behalf of the State of Hawai’i, I deeply apologize for this false alert that created stress, anxiety and fear of a crisis in our residents and guests. I can personally assure each and every resident and visitor that steps have already been taken by the Hawai’i Emergency Management Agency to ensure that a situation of this type never happens again, ” Ige’s statement also read.
“The Hawai’i Emergency Management Agency is committed to protecting the people of Hawai’i, and over the past year it has been taking responsible measures to prepare for the highly unlikely event of a missile attack. As a state government, we must learn from this unfortunate error and continue to prepare for any safety threat to Hawai’i’s residents and visitors – whether it is a man-made threat or a natural disaster such as a hurricane or tsunami,” continued the message.
“In the next few days, I will continue meeting with our emergency preparedness team and personally talking with families, individuals and leaders from around our state to ensure we reach every household. We must also do what we can to demand peace and a de-escalation of tensions with North Korea,” Ige added.
Finally, the governor’s message concluded, “Again, on behalf of the State of Hawai’i, I apologize for yesterday’s events and any hardship and inconvenience this created for you, your family and loved ones.”
