Always Something New in Paradise*

Just when I thought we could do nothing new in Maui, the nuclear missile alert happened.  It's always something.

At 8:00 am, Earl’s out for his beach walk and waiting for the start of the Maui High School canoe races.











I’m in the condo when I get the first alert. At the same time, with canoes about to go in the water, all activity was halted.  As a wheelchair-bound person, I was concerned, but not panicked.  I mean, really?
First alert 8:04 1/13/2018

To Earl
T: Interesting alert. Where would we go for shelter from a nuclear missile?  More to the point, does it matter?

E: Not sure. Turn on the news

T: The news says if you’re outdoors, go indoors.  If you’re indoors, stay away from the windows.  They said that they will let people know when the alert is over.

E: Do they say anything about when the canoe races are going to start? (He was just yanking my chain. He really came back to the condo)
8:34 Oops. Nevermind 😳
My first clue that there was no cause for concern was when I tried to get further safety instructions and all I could find on the TV were ball games. The 'oops' came 35 minutes later.  The second clue was the total lack of sirens.  The Hawaiian islands test the warning sirens monthly.  The system is sound and residents take it seriously.

From our niece, currently on Oahu, taking care of her school aged twin cousins and her 80-year-old aunt with Alzheimer's.  That's when I began to appreciate the variance in response to an alert depending on one's age, responsibilities and location.  Pearl Harbor and Hickam Field are on the island of Oahu. 
Wow, classic scene in Hawaii during a missle alert, watching the paddlers pause. We’re all ok. As I woke up & rushed my little cousins to the tub (less windows), Aunty Susie sat at the table eating her breakfast & sipping her coffee with no worry 😊 while I scurried around to confirm the news. Odd—no communication from the governor or mayor over cell phones or TV.
We started hearing from friends and family on the mainland.  The threat over, most were curious about the response.  It varied between trying to get a flight out of the islands (are you kidding me?) to turning over in bed and going back to sleep.  One friend called Earl and asked if we just hugged one another.  Another friend, old enough to remember the 'duck and cover' days, texted...

The lesson: Wouldn’t you hate to be the person who accidentally pushed the button and sent the false alert? 😜

*Previous post: Nothing New in Paradise

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