An emergency alert was issued today warning the citizens of Hawaii that an incoming ballistic missile strike was imminent. Well it's safe to put down the defribillator and change your drawers now. It was a false alarm...
This sort of mistake is precisely why so many people have little confidence in the systems that are in place. The unfortunate thing about this type of "mistake" (I'm personally of the mind to believe that this was more likely a drill to test public response) is that people are less likely to take the system seriously if a major incident actually does happen. Whether it be an alert about something serious such as a Tsunami as a result of an earthquake.