On Saturday morning, an emergency alert — which turned out to be a false alarm — went out to Hawaii residents saying a ballistic missile was headed toward them.
Omg
A second alert announcing that it was a false alarm didn't go out until about 40 minutes later.
Finally
People in Hawaii were left confused, frightened, and unsure what to do.
I’m in a parking lot in Waimea, Hawaii right now and everyone’s phones are buzzing with a warning about an incoming… https://t.co/ghmlBY1Muo
6 mins into our ride here in Hawaii and this is the text I just received? Not sure what to do. Sirens are going of… https://t.co/I5mWJl2o5Q
One person said they were stuck in traffic when they got the alert, and people were "getting out of cars and running and looking at the sky."
A big issue with today’s false alarm: how long it took for an official alert to go out saying it was, in fact , a f… https://t.co/QFd38AwT2x
Parents said they didn't know how to explain what was happening to their children.
Saw soccer parents running off the field in fear; my boys & nieces are still very shaken. As parents, we could use… https://t.co/puQdUWBRjE
My 10-year-old said, “Dad, I thought we were going to die.”
In a CNN interview, Hawaii State Rep. Matt LoPresti said he sat in the bathtub with his children and prayed.
Hawaii State Rep. Matt LoPresti says in a shaky voice on CNN: "I was sitting in the bathtub with my children saying… https://t.co/2CpGdQaGk6
Rocky from Bravo's Below Deck said she had to interrupt a yoga class to tell everyone what was happening.
Rocky from Bravo’s Below Deck on the false alarm in Hawaii: “As far as I knew, my world was ending, I had minutes t… https://t.co/ZUsHN27V23
And some shared how they were sheltering.
‘Missle threat inbound’ to Hawaii got us like...
Just got this text from a friend re: Hawaii: “My friends are in a ‘fall out shelter’ in Hawaii due to the missile… https://t.co/h5mrAlJb1C
One father recorded a goodbye video — and then kept on golfing.
My father will live and die golfing. #missile #hawaii
People shared the text messages their family and friends sent them when they heard the news.
This was my phone when I woke up just now. I'm in Honolulu, #Hawaii and my family is on the North Shore. They were… https://t.co/PNzlvH18sz
And some shared the voicemails they received.
i know we all shield ourselves from fEeLiNgs with a thick layer of irony these days, but think about those minutes… https://t.co/ZhxUgQ3EB5
Others explained how heartbreaking it was to not be near loved ones when the alert went out.
@BuzzFeedNews All I could do was cry knowing my family is on a different island than me and I couldn't be there wit… https://t.co/4NkJSPYsRX
My friend in Hawaii got the alert and had to quickly choose between which members of his family he would spend his… https://t.co/3JbScJORZy
Federal and state authorities have promised a full investigation into Saturday's mishap.
"What happened today is totally inexcusable," tweeted Sen. Brian Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat. "The whole state was terrified. There needs to be tough and quick accountability and a fixed process."
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard recounted to CNN how people in her state got the phone alert and thought they had 15 minutes to live.
"The reality is that every American needs to understand that if you had gone through what the people of Hawaii just went through, what my family and so many families in Hawaii just went through, you would be angry just like I am," she said.