The Story
On January 13th, 2018 at 8:08 am, an alert was issued to the 1.4 million citizens of Hawai'i,
BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII.
SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
On January 13th, 2018 at 8:08 am, an alert was issued to the 1.4 million citizens of Hawai'i,
BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
As panic took hold of the Hawaiian population, (as well as their friends and relatives across the globe), people came to understand the real, growing and urgent nature of today’s nuclear threat.
![a screenshot of a text conversation between Hawaii residents. It reads "Why isn't there anything on the news or a siren." "Siren was heard in Manoa." "There was a flash on tv then that was it."](https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/61acdb4e65bbc28db3f20cac/61b24b55f730d7319f579f15_sms_02.png)
![a screenshot of a text conversation between Hawaii residents. It reads "I have no clue what we're supposed to do." "It's on the news now." "What is it saying. Driving to my moms. It's not on the radio." "Stay indoors. Away from window."](https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/61acdb4e65bbc28db3f20cac/61aee0904baffb7f38d0ee11_sms_01.png)
![A screenshot of a text message saying "My dad said at kualoa they're putting everyone in the bunker."](https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/61acdb4e65bbc28db3f20cac/61aee0991e80265a15df0bda_Group%20243.png)
As Kauai resident Cynthia Lazaroff would later say, “The alert was false, but the nuclear threat is real...[it] is not a scenario, not a video game...we experienced it personally, felt the terror.”
Although nothing happened that day, everything changed.