The alert, of course, was a false alarm, a product of a colossal screw-up at Hawaii’s emergency management department.

“Everybody had this really panicked and solemn energy - moving fast, frowning, wanting a destination but not knowing where to go.”

“It was by far the most surreal moment of my life,” he said. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” Similar messages interrupted TV and radio broadcasts too.Ī man ran down the beach screaming as Bradford and other members of the wedding party hustled to their nearby hotel. Phones across the state of Hawaii had just screeched with an emergency alert: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. Maybe a shark was lurking nearby, Bradford thought. “He’s trying to pretend that everything is fine, trying to warn me not to panic.” “He had this calm clarity that made me think something is really wrong,” Bradford said. He started the morning by snorkeling near his hotel in Maui, where he’d travelled for a friend’s wedding, but as he surfaced for air, he saw a man urgently motioning him to come back to shore. Local writer Ryan Bradford specializes in humor, but there was nothing funny about Saturday, Jan. Brews & News: Voice of San Diego Live Podcasts.Bad News: We Don’t Have Much of a Plan in Place | Voice of San Diego Close Good News: San Diego Isn’t a Top Nuclear Target.

Closest fallout shelter to me