DEDEDO, Guam — It’s an extremely tense time in Guam amid threats from North Korea that the country would soon launch missiles at the U.S. territory, so when local radio stations accidentally broadcast emergency alerts for the island territory, resident feared the worst.
Residents watching television just before 12:30 a.m. local time were shown an alarming message that read:
"A BROADCAST STATION OR CABLE SYSTEM HAS ISSUED A CIVIL DANGER WARNING FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES/AREAS:
Guam, Guam;
AT 12:25 AM
ON AUG 15, 2017
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 12:40 AM.
MESSAGE FROM KTWGKSTO.
The alerts were also broadcast on local radio stations KTWG and KSTO.
The alerts were broadcast for approximately 15 minutes.
“Residents and visitors are reminded to remain calm, even with the continued unconfirmed reports throughout the media,” Guam Homeland Security Advisor George Charfauros said. “Remember there is no change in threat level, we continue business as usual and know there are U.S. Department of Defense capabilities in place. We continue communication with our federal and military partners and have not received official statement warranting any concern for imminent threat to Guam or the Marianas.”
The Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense posted a statement on Facebook and said that residents and visitors may have noticed an unscheduled test of the Emergency Alert Broadcast System that was triggered by the radio stations.
Officials said the unauthorized test was not connected to any emergency, threat or warning.
“GHS/OCD has worked with KSTO to ensure the human error will not occur again," the statement said.