Hawaii governor promises false missile alert 'will never happen again'
- Hawaii Governor David Ige released a statement apologizing for Saturday's false missile alert.
- Ige confirmed "steps have been taken" to prevent a similar alert being sent in the future.
- The governor also said the US needs to de-escalate tensions with North Korea.
Hawaii Governor David Ige apologized for the state's false missile alert, saying it "will never happen again."
In a press release Sunday evening, Ige issued a lengthy apology for the "unfortunate situation" that "has never happened before and will never happen again."
"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," Ige said, also apologizing for "any hardship and inconvenience this created for you, your family and loved ones."
Ige specifically mentioned North Korea in his statement, saying the US needs to de-escalate tensions with the country.
The governor also confirmed that "steps have been taken" by the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to prevent a similar false alert being sent in the future.
Hawaiians received a text message 0n Saturday morning warning them of an inbound ballistic missile. The alert message read: "BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL."
A follow-up alert, clarifying there was no threat, was sent out 38 minutes later. But many people were terrified during that time, and some even reached out to loved ones to say goodbye.
Ige previously had said "we definitely need to improve our procedures," after confirming a staff member had pressed the wrong button by mistake during a shift change.
Read Ige's message in full: