Hawaii Emergency Agency Worker Says Was Sure Attack Was Real

Former Hawaii Emergency Management Agency employee who had sent an alert across all cellular networks on January 13 about an incoming missile said he was “100 percent sure” the attack was real.

He added the received message didn’t sound like a drill to him even though state officials claims other workers heard the word “exercise” more than single time.

The worker, who is in his 50s, further continued while speaking to reporters on terms of anonymity as he is fearing threats, “I don’t think they’re prepared for missile notifications,” he said, CBS affiliate KGMB reports. “I think the military should handle that, but the point is — no, we weren’t ready and we could have been trained more. It’s just a big failure of the system.”

Earlier the Federal Communications Commission investigation said no cooperation is being received from the employee of Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

During a hearing with the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation the chief of FCC’s public safety and homeland security bureau, Lisa Fowlkes, said she was disappointed as the person who transmitted the alert mistakenly has refused to cooperate with their investigation.

Waves of panic were sent on January 13 after an employee of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency transmitted a false alert about an incoming ballistic missile across millions of mobile phones.

The false alert message read, “Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii, seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill.”

Correction to the mistake took 38 long minutes for the authorities to send a follow up message that the emergency alert was false.