Adam Nagourney
![](https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/alert.jpg?itok=KcXB9HrE)
Hawaii Panics After Alert About Incoming Missile Is Sent in Error
An early-morning emergency alert mistakenly warning of an incoming ballistic missile attack was dispatched to cellphones across Hawaii, setting off widespread panic in a state that was already on edge because of escalating tensions between the United States and North Korea. The alert, sent by the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, was revoked 38 minutes after it was issued, prompting confusion over why it was released — and why it took so long to rescind.