Image: Shutterstock/Lorcel
All sorts of mix ups in that false alarm for Hawaii
During that brief, scary time a few weeks back when Hawaii thought it was under attack, Gov. David Ige was conspicuously absent from Twitter, where other officials tried to spread word that the alert was just a false alarm, and now we know why: He forgot his Twitter password.
It wasn't until about 17 minutes after the initial alert that Ige got this tweet out to his admittedly meager 7,700 followers.
There is NO missile threat. https://t.co/qR2MlYAYxL
— Governor David Ige (@GovHawaii) January 13, 2018
The new tidbit came to light as Ige was pressed by reporters after not addressing the incident in his annual State of the State speech on Monday.
Speaking to reporters, Ige said, “I have to confess that I don’t know my Twitter account log-ons and the passwords, so certainly that’s one of the changes that I’ve made."
Defending himself, Ige also pointed out he was kind of busy with other stuff related to the false alert: “I was in the process of making calls to the leadership team both in Hawaii Emergency Management as well as others. The focus really was on trying to get as many people informed about the fact that it was a false alert.”
(Fair enough, but that's what social media interns are for!)
Of course, Ige's statement wasn't the key thing here. What was essential was the follow-up alert to the original false alarm, which was eventually sent 38 minutes after the first message.
Still, to have Ige's voice joined with others would have helped a little bit to ease panic before relieved Hawaiians scrambled for ways to comfort themselves.
NO missile threat to Hawaii.
— Hawaii EMA (@Hawaii_EMA) January 13, 2018
HAWAII - THIS IS A FALSE ALARM. THERE IS NO INCOMING MISSILE TO HAWAII. I HAVE CONFIRMED WITH OFFICIALS THERE IS NO INCOMING MISSILE. pic.twitter.com/DxfTXIDOQs
— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) January 13, 2018
Ige isn't the only elected official being criticized for lack of response on social media following the alert. President Trump, who is something of an incessant tweeter and one not afraid to stoke the flames of a potential nuclear showdown with a country (North Korea) that is reportedly capable of launching such a missile at Hawaii, has been criticized for his silence following the incident.
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018
Trump officials said the alert was a state issue, though, meaning their only concern is probably making sure that Trump's button remains the biggest in the world.
Read more: http://mashable.com/2018/01/23/hawaii-governor-missile-alert-twitter-password/
