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WASHINGTON (CNN) — The FCC investigation into Hawaii's false missile alarm is underway and already showing Hawaii lacked "reasonable safeguards," agency chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement Sunday.
"Based on the information we have collected so far, it appears that the government of Hawaii did not have reasonable safeguards or process controls in place to prevent the transmission of a false alert," the statement read.
A false alarm in Hawaii on Saturday warned people to seek shelter because of an inbound ballistic missile threat. State leaders and emergency officials said it was a false message, and Hawaii Gov. David Ige told CNN "an employee pushed the wrong button," causing the erroneous alert.
Pai said officials at all levels needed to identify vulnerabilities, and that the FCC would look into steps to take to "prevent a similar incident." The statement said the frightening alarm was made worse by a 38-minute delay to correct it, and that systems must ensure immediate corrections to false alarms.
Earlier coverage:
'We made a mistake' Hawaii sends false missile alert
A false alarm that warned of a ballistic missile headed for Hawaii sent the islands into a panic Saturday, with people abandoning cars in a highway and preparing to flee their homes until officials said the cellphone alert was a mistake.Copyright 2018 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
