Hawaii Prepping For North Korea Missile Threat: Stay Inside, Stay Tuned

HONOLULU, HI — Hawaii is the first state in the country preparing the public for a possible ballistic missile threat from North Korea, and the instructions aren't very complicated: "Get inside, stay inside and stay tuned."

The public education campaign was announced Friday by the state's Emergency Management Agency. Hawaiians won't have much time to prepare though, as it would take a missile just 15 minutes to arrive, agency administrator Vern Miyagi said.

Hawaii will begin monthly tests of an "attack alert" siren beginning in November, which the state hasn't heard since the end of the Cold War in the 1980s. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

State tourism officials said they are concerned misinformation about the state's efforts could keep travelers away. Miyagi said his agency just wants to stay ahead of a "very unlikely" possible threat.

Watch: Why Hawaii Is Updating Its Decades-Old Missile Preparedness Plan

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER, Associated Press

Photo credit: KRT via AP Video