Hawaii rolls out emergency plan for possible N. Korean missile attack

The U.S. state of Hawaii announced a set of measures Friday to keep its people safe from a potential North Korean missile attack, news reports said.

The plan involves making public service announcements about staying inside, school evacuation drills and a new emergency siren that will be tested starting in November, according to the AP and other media.

Experts say Hawaii could be within range of North Korea's missiles soon, if not immediately, based on the communist country's first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile on July 4.

"We do not want to cause any undue stress for the public; however, we have a responsibility to plan for all hazards," the Honolulu Star Advertiser quoted Vern T. Miyagi, Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency administrator, as saying in a statement Thursday.

"We don't know the exact capabilities or intentions of the North Korean government, but there is clear evidence that it is trying to develop ballistic missiles that could conceivably one day reach our state. Therefore, we cannot wait to begin our public information campaign to ensure that Hawaii residents will know what to do if such an event occurs," he said. (Yonhap)