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| Above, an old air raid siren in Van Nuys, California. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
With the latest missile launch tests by North Korea's Kim Jong Un, people in the U.S., particularly those in Hawaii, are getting nervous.
They are getting so nervous about a North Korean nuke being lobbed into the middle of Pearl Harbor or Waikiki Beach, that Hawaiian officials are testing the air raid sirens that were used during the Cold War.
According to the Huffington Post:
HONOLULU — Hawaii officials were checking if sirens intended to alert tourists and residents to a possible nuclear attack from North Korea malfunctioned or were not loud enough Friday after the first test of the warning system since the end of the Cold War was barely heard at one of the state's most popular beaches.
The sirens largely were drowned out by crashing waves and wind along Waikiki, the famous stretch of beach in the shadow of the Diamond Head volcano. Beachgoers hardly noticed the test, which sounded like a distant siren. The warning would give people 20 minutes to take shelter ahead of an imminent missile strike.
"I was out in the ocean playing around, and I heard this siren," said tourist Tom Passmore from Calgary, adding that he didn't think much of it.
"I think it's a good idea," he said of the test, "but judging by everyone's reaction around here, nobody moved."
Vern Miyagi, administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, said early reports indicate the test went well, but officials could get complaints later. They will document any they receive and investigate if there were any glitches — a process they carry out after every monthly test of a siren for natural disasters.
With Hawaii back to testing their sirens, are Los Angeles and states along the west coast next?
To read more, go here.
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