Top official resigns after false missile alert in Hawaii

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii's emergency management leader has resigned and a state employee who sent an alert falsely warning of an incoming ballistic missile has been fired, officials said today, weeks after the mistake caused widespread panic.

Vern Miyagi, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency administrator, stepped down today, state Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Joe Logan said. A second agency worker quit before disciplinary action was taken and another was being suspended without pay, Logan said in announcing results of an internal investigation.

The fallout came the same day the Federal Communications Commission revealed that the worker who pushed out the alert thought an actual attack was imminent. It was the first indication the Jan. 13 alert was purposely sent, adding another level of confusion to the misstep that left residents and tourists believing their lives were about to end.

The state emergency agency worker believed the attack was real because of a mistake in how the drill was initiated during a shift change, the FCC said in a report. The worker said he didn't hear the word "exercise" repeated six times even though others clearly heard it.

There was no requirement to double-check with a colleague or get a supervisor's approval before sending the blast to cellphones, TV and radio stations statewide, the agency said.