Sask. people vacationing in Hawaii react to emergency alert

A Regina couple is calling Saturday morning’s emergency alert in Hawaii a “jarring way to wake up in paradise.”

Ryan Moskal and his girlfriend, Kim McLean, arrived at their condo in Princeville, Hi. early Saturday morning only to be awoken a few hours later by a push alert, urging them to seek shelter from an alleged incoming ballistic missile.

“We basically just got to the condo and went to sleep. We had no idea — was there a place for us to go for shelter? We had no idea what to do,” explained Moskal.

After a quick sweep through social media and local news outlets, he said they quickly discovered it was a false alarm.

“We both kind of had a sigh of relief and we just laid in bed for awhile, and were like ‘Okay, we’re fine. Everything should be cool. We can get back to our holiday now,'” chuckled Moskal.

Meanwhile, vacationing over in Maui, Hi. Saskatchewan Afternoon producer Meaghan Bentley said she also felt a wave of panic.

“I didn’t really know what to think,” she said. “I don’t know where you’re supposed to go for shelter. It was a bit scary.”

The frightening feelings continued for about 40 minutes until she watched a local news station report it was a false alarm.

Both Moskal and Bentley said their parts of the island are now back to their easy going ways, and — though the alert threw a jolt in their holiday — it’ll be one hot vacation they’ll never forget.