It was our last full day in Hawaii, and I woke up around 7:20 a.m. to another beautiful morning on Maui. My sister Sherry and I were having coffee on the lanai, watching the sunrise over the mountains, while my brother-in-law Mike was making breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast.
At 8:07 a.m., our cellphones gave a loud alert sound. We thought it was an Amber Alert, but it was a civil defense alert: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”
Imagine seeing this while on vacation in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Not knowing exactly what to do, Sherry called the front desk. They didn’t know what to do, either. Since breakfast was ready, and I was hungry, I starting eating. Sherry, panicked, tried calling her son and our sister on the mainland. No one answered. This only made Sherry more nervous.
On TV they were telling people to find shelter quickly. Was the seventh-floor penthouse of the Lahaina Shores Beach Resort enough shelter? The lobby was too much of an open area. No protection there. I thought of hiding in the shower stall, but it would be a tight fit for three of us. Besides, would it really be shelter from a missile? There was an underground garage, but the sides of it were open. It wasn’t a good place either. I saw no point in leaving our room. There was no place to go.
I wondered what other people were doing. So, I looked outside at the street below. People were walking around like nothing was happening. I didn’t see anyone racing for cover or driving away quickly. It was a normal day in paradise. Then I realized everything was quiet. Where were the sirens?
With all these questions in my head, I went back to my breakfast. Looking back, I realize I never felt fear, but I did wonder what was happening. I questioned the situation, and questioned why I didn’t just have a mai tai. I knew there was nothing I could do to stop what was happening and there was nowhere to go. In the end, I was still in my pajamas with a sweater, purse on my shoulder and a full stomach — if we ever did find out what we were to do next.
My sister, however, was still running around in a panic. After about 30 minutes, the front desk called to inform us that the missile was a false alarm. I was able to contact my husband back on the mainland to see if he had heard about the alert. He was unaware of the situation and would listen for it on the news. About 10 minutes after the front desk called, the news finally started talking about the false alarm. All was well in Maui.
Not the best way to end a vacation, but we enjoyed our last day in Maui. I was surprised that I was not upset by this whole ordeal. Most of it did not seem real. Things moved at a different rate of speed. I guess you could say we dodged a really big bullet. Death is something we can’t hide from. I figured if I had died that day, it would have been in my favorite place in the world.
But as I write my story, I feel there is more to it than that. We don’t need to die like this. We don’t have to panic like my sister did, or act like it was nothing like I did. We need to address the threat. I feel this was a wake-up call for our country. We are not ready. None of us are. There may not be a way to prepare for this exactly, but we need to pay attention. I am glad this was a false alarm and that doomsday didn’t come for us and all who live and vacation in Hawaii.
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