Hawaii Prepares For ‘Unlikely’ North Korea Missile Threat

State Emergency Management Agency announces a public education campaign and plans monthly tests of “attack-warning” siren.

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(AP) — Hawaii is the first state to prepare the public for the possibility of a ballistic missile strike from North Korea.

The state’s Emergency Management Agency on Friday announced a public education campaign about what to do. Hawaii lawmakers have been urging emergency management officials to update Cold War-era plans for coping with a nuclear attack as North Korea develops nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles that can reach the islands.

Starting in November, Hawaii will begin monthly tests of an “attack-warning” siren the state hasn’t heard since the end of the Cold War in the 1980s. The wailing siren will be tested on the first working day of each month, after a test of an “attention-alert” steady tone siren with which residents are already familiar.

FILE - This July 4, 2017 file photo, distributed by the North Korean government shows what was said to be the launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile in North Korea. Hawaii is the first state to prepare the public for the possibility of a ballistic missile threat from North Korea. The state's Emergency Management Agency on Friday, July 21, 2017 announced a public education campaign. Agency Administrator Vern Miyagi says because it would take a missile about 15 minutes to arrive, there won't be much time to prepare. He says that's why instructions are simple: "Get inside, stay inside and stay tuned." (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)
This July 4, 2017, file photo, distributed by the North Korean government, shows what was said to be the launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile in North Korea. AP

Informational brochures, along with TV, radio and internet announcements will help educate the public about the new siren sound and provide preparedness guidance. “If they’re not educated, they could actually be frightened by it,” agency Executive Director Toby Clairmont said of needing several months to introduce the new siren.

Because it would take a missile 15 minutes — maybe 20 minutes — to arrive, the instructions to the public are simple: “Get inside, stay inside and stay tuned,” said Vern Miyagi, agency administrator. “You will not have time to pick up your family and go to a shelter and all that kind of stuff. … It has to be automatic.”

He stressed that his agency is simply trying to stay ahead of a “very unlikely” scenario, but it’s a possibility that Hawaii can’t ignore.

Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Administrator Vern Miyagi, left, and Toby Clairmont, the agency's executive officer, discuss a new public education campaign about the missile threat from North Korea in Honolulu on Friday, July 21, 2017. Hawaii is the first state to prepare the public for the possibility of a ballistic missile strike from North Korea. (AP Photo/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher)
Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Administrator Vern Miyagi, left, and Toby Clairmont, the agency’s executive officer, discuss a new public education campaign about the missile threat from North Korea in Honolulu on Friday. AP

Hawaii is an important strategic outpost for the U.S. military. The island of Oahu is home to the U.S. Pacific Command, the military’s headquarters for the Asia-Pacific region. It also hosts dozens of ships at Pearl Harbor and is a key base for the Navy, Air Force, Army and Marine Corps.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority supports preparing for disasters, but it is concerned that misinformation about bracing for a North Korea attack could scare travelers from visiting the islands, spokeswoman Charlene Chan said in a statement: “The effect of such a downturn would ultimately be felt by residents who rely on tourism’s success for their livelihood.”

With that in mind, Miyagi reiterated, “Hawaii is still safe.”

FILE - In this July 4, 2017, file photo distributed by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, second from right, inspects the preparation of the launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in North Korea's northwest. Hawaii is the first state to prepare the public for the possibility of a ballistic missile threat from North Korea. The state's Emergency Management Agency on Friday, July 21, 2017 announced a public education campaign. Agency Administrator Vern Miyagi says because it would take a missile about 15 minutes to arrive, there won't be much time to prepare. He says that's why instructions are simple: "Get inside, stay inside and stay tuned." (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)
In this July 4, 2017, file photo distributed by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, second from right, inspects the preparation of the launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile. AP

Hawaii residents, who already face hazards including from tsunami and hurricanes, are familiar with disaster preparedness. Because it’s currently hurricane season, residents should already have an emergency kit that includes 14-days of food and water.

“It also works for this type of scenario,” Lt. Col. Charles Anthony, spokesman for the Hawaii State Department of Defense.

Hawaii officials surveyed 28 U.S. states and cities about what they’re doing for the North Korea threat. “They think it’s too soon,” Clairmont said.

But counterparts in California have contacted him asking for guidance now that they are starting to look at a similar effort, Clairmont said.

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