Hawaiians received a government alert telling them to take shelter and that a missile was going to hit the islands the morning of Saturday, Jan. 13. At 8:45 a.m., 38 minutes later, a second message was sent saying that an employee pressed the wrong button on accident and that there was no missile.

“BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII,” the message said. “SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”

“What happened today was totally unacceptable,” Gov. David Y. Ige said to the New York Times. “Many in our community were deeply affected by this. I am sorry for the pain and confusion that anyone might have experienced.”

Later, it was revealed that Hawaii’s governor could not relay the information regarding the false alarm earlier on Twitter because he forgot his password, CNN reported.

“A state official told Ige two minutes later it was false, CNN affiliate KNHL reports. It took another 15 minutes before the state relayed that news on social media,” CNN reported. “And it took 38 minutes after the alert was sent for the emergency management agency to send out a second message telling the public it was a false alarm.”

“The Federal Communications Commission announced that it had begun ‘a full investigation into the FALSE missile alert in Hawaii,’” the New York Times reported

Many civilians prepared for the worst while unaware of the mistake made by an employee.

“We fully felt like we were going to die,” Allyson Niven told the NY Times. “I drove to try to get my kids even though I knew I probably wouldn’t make it, and I fully was visualizing what was happening while I was on the road. It was awful.”

Many groups of people tried to take shelter from the alleged incoming missile.

Ray Gerst, a tourist, had to take shelter in a concrete bunker in the mountains for 15 minutes, The NY Times reports.

“Matt LoPresti, a state representative, told CNN that he and his family headed for a bathroom,” NYT reports. “‘I was sitting in the bathtub with my children, saying our prayers.’”

As President Trump and Kim Jong-un continue to threaten each other regarding missiles and nuclear weapons, the possibility of an attack is a reality.

“If North Korea were to launch a missile toward Hawaii, the 1.4 million residents of the islands would have only about 20 minutes’ notice before it hit,” CNN reports.