Community Chat

[ms traditional]

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@RetRN wrote:

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@ID2 wrote:

It boils down to....we are human and make mistakes. This guy came forward immediately and admitted that he was to blame. I respect that. 

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I agree. Now I wish this topic would end, but people will carry on with all kinds of speculation and rumors. 

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actually this was aimed at Hawaii residents who haven't even gotten up yet.  it is their system and their opinions that count and are of particular interest.

[walkingal]

The Hawaii emergency management bureaucrat responsible for this episode should be fired.

[GCR18]

I can totally understand pushing the wrong button.  It's the clicking through the do you really want to that seems off.  At work, we have a transaction where users click into it when they shouldn't.  We have three messages that have to be clicked through giving the reason why you shouldn't continue.  New users click right on through.  Of course, it's nothing compared to an emergency message.

[HerRoyaLioness]

This was a big deal, not just a "mistake", and not just for Hawaii. 

You can't have "additional training" for incompetency or carelessness on a job like this.  I doubt we'll ever know the real truth about what happened and why it really took so long to correct it.  Everyone will cover for themselves and their departments.

It's difficult to believe they would have such obviously overly simplistic and ineffective procedures in place.  My home computer has those safety features.  Makes you wonder about other states and their policies.

Just my opinion on this at this point.

ETA - my heart goes out to those poor people that thought they were under attack.  One reason I'm angry about this whole thing.

[PinkMomi]

@ms traditional

In response to your question:

The worker that actually madet he mistake really needs counseling now after yesterday's mistake. He/she was also traumatized by the results.  Of course, retraining will be a must. The worker's boss, the Hawaii Emergency Management Administrator took full responsibility for the mistake immediately. Kudos to him for being honest, apologizing, and shouldering the mishap. He assures that changes and improvements will be made.This is all GOOD for Hawaii.

As I understand it, the mishap happened during a shift change, which occurs 3 times a day.  They have procedures to implement to make sure the whole system is indeed working. I don't know exactly what happened, but perhaps the worker thought he/she was verifying that the system was operational, instead of actually sending it out? Will they tell us the problem in detail? I don't know, and I don't need to know. I just want them to improve procedures so that the false alarm doesn't occur again.

Also, in all reality, if there was a Nuclear attack:  Unless we live in a bunker type structure, have a bomb shelter, or live next door to one, we only have 15-20 minutes (or less) to get to possible safety. The majority of us will be TOAST. 

Being "warned" really wouldn't make much of a difference here. I would rather perish with my DH and cat, than be stuck in a traffic jam trying to get to a shelter, which may or may not be sheltering. The only island that would have a chance of good survival would be the Big Island (or, Hawaii Island), as it has the land to be self sustainable. The other islands would also suffer from the aftermath fallout.

Most people I talked to said they would rather perish right off, instead of clinging to an anguished life for a few months, or years. Most people were not super freaked out and went along with their regular day after the mistake notice was given.

Yes, everyone wants changes and improvements made for a clear, logical, and cohesive warning system. in addition to the well-trained personnel to implement it. Hopefully, those in charge will get it right and try to ensure our safety.

[jeanlake]

What a shock and then a concern. I think differently than some. I don't think person responsible should be fired. Retrained, yes. But you can bet that person will NEVER make that mistake again. Retrain all personnel -- let everyone learn from it so improvement can be made. Perhaps this was a fortunate mishap -- that's one way to look at it. 

[SilleeMee]

Okay, so what if he gets fired? Who's next??

[puttypiesmom]

I think only the military should be sending out alerts and it should not originate from the desk of someone who works in civil service.  For example, if the procedure would be military sends it first to someone high up in civil service who can be trusted who then sends it out to the public.  How this would work when business hours are over or on a weekend is anyone's guess.  

[puttypiesmom]

I think people tried to get flights out to the mainland.  Now, that would be a huge inconvenice.  One can just picture parents gathering up their children and fleeing to the airport spending a lot of money on tickets only to be told it was a false alarm when they were still in the air or by the time they landed.  It does seem like the person responsible for putting out the false alert should be fired. 

[Marp]

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@onionsoup wrote:

I think people tried to get flights out to the mainland.  Now, that would be a huge inconvenice.  One can just picture parents gathering up their children and fleeing to the airport spending a lot of money on tickets only to be told it was a false alarm when they were still in the air or by the time they landed.  It does seem like the person responsible for putting out the false alert should be fired. 

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With only an approximate 20 minute lead time from lift off of the missile to impact at target the idea of "gathering up their children and fleeing to the airport", getting tickets, boarding a plane, getting airborne then attaining enough altitude and distance to avoid being impacted is delusional.