The January 13th false missile alert in Hawaii was not entirely caused by a worker mistake─the worker was told that the drill was, in fact, not a drill, and a serious threat to the island. Officials at Hawaii Emergency Management Agency has reported that the worker in question had also made numerous mistakes in the past and had a history of poor performance. Associated press also stated that the worker was told to cancel the alert but that he did not respond to the order. However, the most troubling thing about this incident is the fact that it took 45 minutes for a correction to be sent through the alert system despite both the agency's and Hawaiian governor's knowledge of the mistake.
Hawaiian safety and welfare has never truly been a main concern of the United States government. In the 1890's, when it was of the most importance to the US, was about the only time that the islands actually mattered to us. Now that our interests are in East Asian markets, Hawaii's resources and well being have fallen to the back burner. Hawaii is a member of the United States and it deserves to be treated as such. The US prides itself on being multicultural and a place of equal opportunity, but if we do not take care of those cultures and let things like this happen to our citizens, then exactly what are we?
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/30/581853255/hawaii-missile-drill-stated-this-is-not-a-drill-resulting-in-false-alert
Although it's good that the worker was sincerely concerned, the fact that he/she was able to send this alarm so easily is kind of embarrassing and that the warning was sent without further scrutiny was, at least in hindsight, definitely a mistake deserving of an apology and causing real mental anguish.
ReplyDeleteSelah Hunter
ReplyDeleteThis was one of the scariest things that has happened since I’ve been alive. Because a middle attack means it’s from outside of the country and could possibly cause a war. I am seriously happy that it was a false alarm but in the end it must have been terrible for people who were actually in Hawaii at the time.
I can't imagine what took them so long to release this information. You're correct in saying that Hawaii doesn't get as much attention as it should. It almost seems like its a foreign country.
ReplyDeleteI can’t imagine how it must’ve felt to be falsely informed in such a way. The other U.S. territories deserve attention too.
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