Officials in Hawaii have apologized after an alert warning of a ballistic missile launch went out by mistake, an error that caused widespread panic for more than half an hour on the island on Saturday. Among those sent seeking shelter was a couple with Connecticut ties, who now live in Wilmington, Del.
Kimberly and David Chianese got married just a few days before the alert. The couple was celebrating their honeymoon in Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. Mr. and Mrs. Chianese spoke to NBC Connecticut about the chaotic moments.
"We were walking to the elevator to get our rental car to explore the island that day and my phone went off,” said Kimberly. "Mine went off before David's did and he said 'What is that? Is that a weather alert?'," she said.
"When I looked at it I just turned pure white and I just started crying," she said.
"My phone went off in the elevator on the way down," said David. "You looked at it and you saw the alarm: 'Missile Alert. This is not a drill'. I said let's get to the lobby. Let's find the basement," David said.
The couple entered the lobby of their hotel and witnessed chaos, with people running and shouting.
David told Kimberly they had to find shelter to try to avoid the blast.
Local
After 38 minutes of panic – and after frantic calls to loved ones in the continental United States – the Chianeses received the notification that the alert was not real and was instead a major mistake.
The newlyweds said they are still in the process of calming down from the situation. The couple said it will be trying to relax for the remaining days of their honeymoon.
