The state of Hawaii is rolling out a preparedness plan in the unlikely event that North Korea launches an intercontinental ballistic missile at the Aloha State. 
 
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 The state of Hawaii is rolling out a preparedness plan in the unlikely event that North Korea launches an intercontinental ballistic missile at the Aloha State. 
 
 The public education and information campaign will emphasize steps to be taken on short notice, according to state officials, because a North Korean ICBM would arrive in just 20 minutes, leaving just 12 to 15 minutes to warn the populace. 
 
 “We do not want to cause any undue stress for the public; however, we have a responsibility to plan for all hazards. We don’t know the exact capabilities or intentions of the North Korean government, but there is clear evidence that it is trying to develop ballistic missiles that could conceivably one day reach our state. Therefore, we cannot wait to begin our public information campaign to ensure that Hawaii residents will know what to do if such an event occurs,” Vern Miyagi, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency administrator, said in a release. 
 
 The plan doesn’t mean a return to “duck and cover” from the 1950s, but it will include school students drilling for evacuation, similar to “active shooter” scenarios now, officials said. 
 
 Public service announcements will be aired that advise “get inside, stay inside, and stay tuned,” according to the state. 
 
 The tourism industry is not at all happy with the arrival of the campaign, which it fears could spook tourists. 
 
 “Everyone’s safety in Hawaii is always our top priority. We support the efforts of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to prepare for any threat to Hawaii’s well-being, be it man-made or a natural disaster,” Charlene Chan, director of communications for the Hawaii Tourism Authority, said in a statement. 
 
 “However, we also know from speaking to our tourism industry partners that if reports are misinterpreted about the state’s need to prepare for an attack, this could lead to travelers and groups staying away from Hawaii,” she said. “The effect of such a downturn would ultimately be felt by residents who rely on tourism’s success for their livelihood.” 
 
 Chan added that the threat of a North Korean missile attack on Hawaii “is a very remote possibility at this time.” 
 
 But state officials say they want to get out ahead of North Korea’s goose-stepping march toward greater nuclear capability — even if it would be suicide for leader Kim Jong Un to launch missiles at the United States. 
 
 Miyagi and Emergency Management Executive Officer Toby Clairmont are expected to unveil more details of the preparedness plan Friday. 
 
 North Korea’s first and only successful flight test July 3 of an ICBM has some experts asserting that Hawaii now is in range of the missile known as the Hwasong-14. 
 
 Missile expert John Schilling wrote on the website 38North.org on July 10 that “the dust seems to be clearing and the emerging reality is that the North has an unreliable missile that can reach Alaska or Hawaii with a single nuclear warhead, and would be lucky to hit even a city-sized target.” 
 
 With the collapse of the Soviet Union, ICBMs came off Hawaii Emergency Management’s threat list of mostly natural hazards in the late 1990s. Terrorism was added. 
 
 With North Korea emerging as a new threat, Miyagi told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in April that it was time to update previous plans. 
 
 “If you were to ask me what is the status of North Korea, and is (a missile attack) a high probability, no, it’s a low probability,” Miyagi, a retired Army two-star general who served at U.S. Pacific Command as a senior adviser, said at the time. “But then, so, we have to keep a lookout for that (threat). That’s why we’re talking about updating the plan. It’s an awakening,” he added. 
 
 Miyagi at the time said North Korea could be developing a 10-kiloton warhead capability. For comparison, the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 was 15 kilotons. 
 
 Hawaii Emergency Management is an all-hazards agency, “so the point is, whether it’s nuclear events, whether it’s hurricane or tsunami, the same thing that we need to get out to the folks is that they need to have a plan,” he said. 
 
 That includes coordinating with family members on meeting spots and communication when and if usual methods are disrupted. 
 
 “Know where to go, know what to do, and know when to do it,” Miyagi said. ||||| North Korea is "clearly" in a position to threaten Hawaii today, and the state could benefit from additional protections against an attack, the head of U.S. Pacific Command told Congress on Wednesday. 
 
 North Korea is "clearly" in a position to threaten Hawaii today, and the state could benefit from additional protections against an attack, the head of U.S. Pacific Command told Congress on Wednesday. 
 
 The top American military officer in the Pacific slammed recent North Korean missile tests as 'unacceptable' on Tuesday, denouncing attempts at military escalation as unwarranted during meetings with Japanese leaders. 
 
 The top American military officer in the Pacific slammed recent North Korean missile tests as 'unacceptable' on Tuesday, denouncing attempts at military escalation as unwarranted during meetings with Japanese leaders. 
 
 The U.S. Air Force on Friday conducted military training exercises in the skies above South Korea, near the country's northern border – an apparent show-of-force meant to demonstrate an 'ironclad commitment' to American allies facing increasing threats from North Korean. 
 
 The U.S. Air Force on Friday conducted military training exercises in the skies above South Korea, near the country's northern border – an apparent show-of-force meant to demonstrate an 'ironclad commitment' to American allies facing increasing threats from North Korean. 
 
 The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency is kicking off an educational campaign aimed at helping residents and visitors figure out what to do if the state is the target of a nuclear missile attack from North Korea. 
 
 Hawaii is the first state to prepare the public for the possibility of a ballistic missile strike. 
 
 The state's emergency management agency said the threat to the islands from the rogue nation is "currently assessed to be low." 
 
 But officials added ongoing North Korean missile tests — and growing public concern — have prompted officials to work on preparedness and disaster management plans. 
 
 Vern Miyagi, administrator of the emergency management agency, stressed that the public shouldn't be alarmed by the planning. 
 
 Rather, he said, the public should see the preparation and education much like the work being done to prepare the public for hurricane and tsunami, which pose a greater risk to the state. 
 
 "We need to tell the public what the state is doing," Miyagi said. “We do not want to cause any undue stress for the public; however, we have a responsibility to plan for all hazards." 
 
 Earlier this month, North Korea tested an ICBM missile, drawing condemnation from the US and other countries. Experts say an ICBM like the one North Korea launched could reach Alaska and possibly even Hawaii. 
 
 The state plan considers what is currently a worst-case scenario: A 15-kiloton nuclear weapon detonated 1,000 feet above Honolulu. 
 
 In that scenario, public service announcements will tell residents, people should "get inside, stay inside, and stay tuned." 
 
 During the Cold War, the state said, Hawaii routinely updated plans and conducted drills related to nuclear attack scenarios. But those plans gathered dust as the threat faded. 
 
 And officials stressed, the time to plan is now — even if the threat level is low. 
 
 "We don’t know the exact capabilities or intentions of the North Korean government, but there is clear evidence that it is trying to develop ballistic missiles that could conceivably one day reach our state," Miyagi said. "Therefore, we cannot wait to begin our public information campaign to ensure that Hawaii residents will know what to do if such an event occurs." 
 
 It would take 20 minutes for an ICBM to travel to Hawaii from North Korea. The public would have eight to 12 minutes of notice before the attack started. 
 
 As part of the new campaign, the state will also start testing a new "wailing" emergency siren on the first workday of the month. 
 
 That testing will start as early as November — the normal siren will sound, followed by a second siren that would be used in the event of an attack. 
 
 The agency's new campaign is causing concern among some in the tourism industry, who worry visitors could choose other destinations for fear of a North Korea attack. 
 
 “We support the efforts of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to prepare for any threat to Hawaii’s well-being, be it man-made or a natural disaster," said Charlene Chan, director of communications at the Hawaii Tourism Authority. 
 
 "However, we also know from speaking to our tourism industry partners that if reports are misinterpreted about the State’s need to prepare for an attack, this could lead to travelers and groups staying away from Hawaii. The effect of such a downturn would ultimately be felt by residents who rely on tourism’s success for their livelihood.” 
 
 Miyagi is set to unveil more details on the educational campaign Friday. 
 
 Copyright 2017 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved. ||||| CLOSE Retired Admiral Mike Mullen says use of Nuclear force in North Korea is more likely than it used to be. He told ABC This Week, “I think it’s more probable than it used to be, and it scares me to death quite frankly." Buzz60 
 
 Helicopters patrol over Waikiki beach Nov. 10, 2011. (Photo: EMMANUEL DUNAND, AFP/Getty Images) 
 
 In a throwback to the days of the Cold War with Russia, Hawaii on Friday will begin testing a warning siren to prepare for the possibility of nuclear attack, state officials say. 
 
 Vern Miyagi, administrator for the state emergency management agency, said the sirens blasting across the islands would notify the public to "get inside, stay inside and stay tuned" for more information. 
 
 Miyagi likened the warnings to Bert the Turtle, a cartoon character from the 1950s used to warn Americans to "duck and cover" in the event of a nuclear attack. The increased threat from North Korea is the reason behind the warnings, he said. 
 
 "If anybody told me four or five months ago we would be doing this I would have said you are crazy," Miyagi said. "But stuff happens." 
 
 More: South Korea broadcasts defector's daring escape on loudspeakers 
 
 More: In the war of insults, here's North Korea's latest jab at Trump 
 
 The signal test will take place Friday and the first business day of each month after that. The test will take place in conjunction with a general siren warning, a more steady tone, that already takes place each month. 
 
 The state is also broadcasting public service announcements and conducting community meetings aimed at educating the public. Miyagi said Hawaiians should have two weeks of provisions stored in their homes, just in case of an attack or a natural disaster. 
 
 He acknowledged that state officials do not consider an attack likely but said all have heard the unrelenting threats from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. 
 
 Kim and President Trump have swapped insults and threats since Trump assumed the presidency. Trump has threatened "fire and fury," and during a tour of Asia this month urged U.S. troops to be prepared for conflict. 
 
 “We dominate the sky, we dominate the sea, we dominate the land and space,” he said. 
 
 Kim has called Trump a "lunatic" and has threatened a pre-emptive strike aimed at annihilating the United States. 
 
 New York and Washington, D.C., are almost 7,000 miles from Pyongyang. Honolulu is about 4,600 miles. Closer quarters make Hawaii more vulnerable, but Miyagi dismissed the opinion of many Hawaiians that a nuclear attack would be so devastating that it's not worth planning for recovery. 
 
 "The models as far as casualties, we're talking about 10%," Miyagi said. "It's not pretty, (but) I'm going to tell the 90% survivors that we stopped planning because you guys were all supposed to die? 
 
 "There is an impact, and there is a whole bunch of stuff after," he said. "That is why we are preparing." 
 
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– The antics of North Korea's Kim Jong Un are officially no longer funny in Hawaii. State officials are rolling out a civil-preparedness campaign in case of a nuclear attack by North Korea, reports Hawaii News Now. Part of that means public-service announcements about what people should do if Pyongyang launches a missile. As the Honolulu Star-Advertiser explains, the warnings wouldn't be those of the "duck and cover" variety from the Cold War era, but would be similar to those of an active-shooter situation. They would advise people to “get inside, stay inside, and stay tuned." More details are to be unveiled on Friday about the campaign, which comes in the wake of North Korea's test this month of an intercontinental ballistic missile. If the North launched one, Hawaii residents would have, at most, about 15 minutes of warning. A second part of the campaign will be once-monthly tests of a new emergency siren; the tests are slated to begin as soon as November and will take place on the first workday of each month. "We do not want to cause any undue stress for the public; however, we have a responsibility to plan for all hazards," says the director of Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency, which says the current threat assessment is low. A post earlier this month at the respected 38North.org said North Korea "has an unreliable missile that can reach Alaska or Hawaii with a single nuclear warhead," but is probably a year or two away from posing a threat to the West Coast. One group not thrilled with the state's new initiative: tourism officials. A spokeswoman for the Hawaii Tourism Agency says the chances of an attack are "very remote" and thus the new campaign sounds alarmist.