The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency worker who sent out a false alert to the state about an inbound ballistic missile has been fired, and the head of the agency has resigned, state officials announced Tuesday.
Vern Miyagi, the administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, submitted his resignation Tuesday morning, Maj. Gen. Joe Logan said during a press conference.
The state conducted an internal investigation about the events that occurred Jan. 13, when a day shift officer with the state’s emergency management agency erroneously sent out an alert warning more than 1 million people in Hawaii of an inbound ballistic missile.
The Federal Communications Commission released its own preliminary report Tuesday. That probe found the worker misheard a recorded message that was initiated as part of the drill and thought the ballistic missile threat was real.
The employee then sent out the alert, which warned people in Hawaii to seek shelter. Nearly 40 minutes later, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency sent a follow-up alert notifying people there was no ballistic missile heading for the state.
Hawaii officials initially said the message was sent out when the worker mistakenly hit an incorrect button from a drop-down menu on the computer.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige, a Democrat, apologized for the incident and said it was a “terrifying day when our worst nightmares appeared to become a reality.”
The report from Hawaii officials found that the employee who sent out the false alert earlier this month “has been a source of concern” to other workers “for over 10 years,” according to the Washington Post.
The worker also mixed up real-world scenarios and drills “on at least two separate occasions.”
