The Hawaii public employee who plunged the state into chaos by accidentally sending out an incoming-missile emergency alert Saturday has been reassigned, according to reports.
The unnamed emergency department worker will not be fired because he made an honest mistake, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency spokesman Richard Rapoza told the Washington Post.
“Part of the problem was it was too easy — for anyone — to make such a big mistake,” Rapoza said. “We have to make sure that we’re not looking for retribution, but we should be fixing the problems in the system. … I know that it’s a very, very difficult situation for him.”
The agency has already put in place new safeguards to prevent such a misfire — including a “cancel” button that will immediately send out corrective alerts if an erroneous warning is issued, officials said Sunday.