Researchers: less panic than expected in Hawaii after alert

WILMINGTON, Del. — Researchers studying the reaction of Hawaii’s residents after the false missile alert say there was far less panic than they anticipated.

University of Delaware researchers said they are not reconstructing a scene from a disaster film, the News Journal in Wilmington reported Saturday . People were not running in a “blind panic.”

Jennifer Trivedi, a researcher with the school’s Disaster Research Center, said more people than she expected searched elsewhere to confirm the alert, including social media. At the same time, she said people were unsure of where to go. Many didn’t know where shelters were or if there were any.

Authorities said last month’s alert was sent by the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency after an employee mistakenly believed an attack was imminent. Researchers interviewed more than 80 residents and tourists.