Sirens are sounding across the United States as a warning for a potential missile strike.

The sirens have been heard in New York, Chicago, and other major cities. The alert comes after North Korea tested a nuclear weapon on October 27th. In response, President Trump has said that “all options are on the table” in terms of how to respond to the threat. This is not the first time that sirens have sounded across America in recent years. In 2018, Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency accidentally sent out an alert saying that a ballistic missile was headed towards the island state.

What is happening?

The sirens were activated at around 3:45pm Eastern Time on October 27th and lasted for about 40 minutes. This means that they began sounding at around 1:45pm Pacific Time, which is when Hawaii is located.

Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency sent out an alert saying “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL” at 8:07am Hawaiian Standard Time (1:07am Eastern Time). However, it turned out to be a false alarm and was caused by human error during a shift change at the agency.

What happened with Hawaii?

A staff member accidentally selected an incorrect option from a drop-down menu which led to this false alarm being sent out statewide.

How did this happen?

According to Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency (HIEMA), there are two ways that alerts can be sent out through their system – one which requires no action from staff members and another which does require staff input. The agency said in their statement that “the employee who issued the false alert believed” they were using the right procedure for sending out an emergency message but “made an error” by selecting this option instead of one that would have required staff input.

Sirens are going off in the UK for the first time since 1996.

The UK has been hit by its first major air raid siren test since 1996, and it was all part of a nationwide trial to test the country’s air raid warning system. In a tweet, the National Police Chiefs’ Council said that sirens would be heard across London, Manchester, Cardiff and Glasgow on October 27th.

Air raid sirens were first introduced during World War II to warn people of impending attacks from enemy aircraft. They were used in Britain until 1996, when they were replaced by more high-tech methods such as text messages and automated phone calls. The decision to bring back the air raid sirens came after they were tested on April 27th this year, which led to a number of false alarms being reported across London.

Video from South London

What is an air raid warning?

An air raid warning is an alert that sounds when enemy aircraft are detected approaching or entering airspace above a particular area.

The term “air raid” refers to an attack by enemy aircraft and was used extensively during World War II.

While there are many different types of warning systems in place around the world today, including satellite detection systems and missile defence systems, many countries still use air raid warnings as part of their early warning system.

“Aircrews have always been fascinated with aircraft sirens – who can resist revving up a car engine at full throttle or standing outside an open window with your mouth wide open as you hear one pass?”

“During World War II there was a wide variety of siren types used by countries around the world.”

“The Germans used Lautsprecher (loudspeaker) systems while Italy employed loudspeakers mounted on trucks.”