Earlier this month, Hawaii residents received a terrifying message. The message read: "Emergency Alert: BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL." For nearly 40 excruciating minutes people were left thinking this was true, wondering exactly what they should do in the face of certain death and how to look after their loved ones. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/KPRC2Sara/status/952253490063032320]] Fortunately, this was eventually revealed to be an error, and Hawaii was indeed safe. But it left many in the state shaken up, with the fear of an attack such as this spreading to the rest of the United States. But what would actually happen if this message were true? [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/952289557659176961]] First of all, the U.S. military and its intelligence agencies have early warning satellites that orbit the planet. These satellites would detect the location of a launch site within seconds as well as the trajectory of the missile. Air Force radars, infrared sensors and other instruments would search for heat signatures from missile plumes, and are sensitive enough to even detect short-range missiles. This information would be sent to U.S. forces in Seoul, South Korea within minutes. They would decide whether to shoot down or not, with the option to do so from the Korean Peninsula, Japan's missile defence network, or U.S. warships, which will have various potential risks to American lives which will have to be considered. If it's a nuclear strike then the decision whether to counter-strike would have to be made by the president. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/909384837018112000]] Jeffrey Lewis, a Middlebury professor and noted arms control watcher, has said that North Korea would likely launch its largest missile - an intercontinental ballistic missile that may have the power of 200 kilotons, in other words "equivalent to a few hundred kilotons of TNT". This missile is capable of covering the 11,739 km (7,350 miles) from Pyongyang to Honolulu and would have a devastating effect. According to Nuke Map, a website tool made by Alex Wellerstein to approximate the devastation of similar attacks, estimates that this missile would wipe out 158,000 people and injure 173,000. The damage would depend on how or where exactly it was detonated, as there are various ways in which it could harm civilians. Beyond the central explosion, there would be an air blast that could topple buildings and radiation. In Hawaii, much of the structures are made from wood so there would be widespread fires. In addition, its isolation offers little chance for a quick evacuation and hinders efforts to provide medicine and food relief, while the local food and water sources could become contaminated. There are various factors that could affect the overall impact of a successful attack on Hawaii, from the high winds to the mountainous terrain to the spread of radioactive isotopes, but regardless this situation would be dire. Fortunately, the message those people received was a mistake and not a real glimpse into a dark future.

On Saturday morning, the people of Hawaii got the fright of their lives after a government alert stated that everyone on the island was at immediate risk due to an incoming ballistic missile. The message said: "Emergency Alert: BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL." After nearly forty agonizing minutes of everyone not knowing when - or if - their final moments were about to happen, a second message went out stating that it was a false alarm. While everyone was, of course, incredibly relieved that they were no longer heading for impending doom, many people also took it as a wake-up call about how under threat the US truly is. And one of those people was Jim Carrey. The actor and comedian, who was in Hawaii at the time the message was sent out, described the experience as a "psychic warning", and took it as a caution of what could be yet to come. Accompanying the tweet, perhaps somewhat insensitively, was a picture of one of Carrey's art installations: a sculpture of a mushroom cloud. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/JimCarrey/status/952284494257508352]] Considering this was posted at such a time of panic, the tweet was perceived by many as a scaremongering attempt or an excuse to slam Trump for something which was not his fault. Indeed, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency has since taken full responsibility for the mistake, blaming "human error" for the false alarm. In a statement released on Saturday, they said: "The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) has confirmed that there was no ballistic missile and that there were no computer hacks to the HI-EMA system. The cause of the false alarm was human error. "HI-EMA has already taken measures to ensure that an incident such as the one that occurred this morning does not happen again. HI-EMA has also started a review of cancellation procedures to inform the public immediately if a cancellation is warranted." But Carrey's claim that Trump is "alienating the world" was not entirely misplaced. Just days after referring to certain nations as "s**thole countries" and being branded as a racist by the UN, the president failed to inform his own citizens that the message was a false alert. The incident happened as he was playing golf, leaving another government official - Representative Tulsi Gabbard - to tweet the first report of a false alarm to her 174,000 followers about 15 minutes after the warning was given. President Trump, on the other hand, did not tweet about the matter at all. In fact, the first thing he posted after thousands of his own citizens were made to fear for their lives was something about the Fire and Fury book that has been troubling him for the past couple of weeks. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/952301373479104512]] When asked about the state's error in sending out the alert, Trump said:

In a moment that sounds completely unfathomable, Jim Carrey was once informed that he only had 10 minutes left to live.

The incident occurred on Jan. 13, 2018, when a number of people in Hawaii received an ominous alert on their cell phones which read, “Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill.”

The actor, who was living on the island at the time, said he initially thought about escaping when he received the message, but instead chose to make his peace and accept his "fate".

“A fake missile alert in Hawaii. I was there. I was writing,” Carrey told Jimmy Fallon during an interview in 2020. “My assistant Linda called me, she was crying, she said, ‘We have 10 minutes left.’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ She said, ‘The missiles are coming.'”

More on Carrey's incredible experience below:

Officials later said the false alarm was “part of a drill,” and later backtracked even further and said it was “human error” which caused the message to be sent, as reported by the New York Times.

But for residents of Hawaii, the threat was very real.

"I tried to get off the island to my daughter. I couldn't get off the island," he said. "The question was posed -- should we all try to get together? I said, 'I don't want to die in my car.' And we had to say goodbye."

Following the conversation, Carrey decided to spend his final moments in what he thought would be a peaceful setting.

"I sat on the lanai and looked out at the ocean," he recalled.

"At that point, I just started going, 'OK, well, what can I do with this last moment of time?' And I just decided to go through a list of gratitudes.

“I could not stop thinking of wonderful things that have happened to me and blessings I've had. It was lovely. And I got to a point of grace with about two minutes to spare when I found out it wasn't actually happening.

“And all I was planning to do was close my eyes and be thankful because it's been a good ride."

Credit: AFF / Alamy

But when Fallon interjected to ask him how he felt upon learning the event had been fake, Carrey quipped: "Then I got p***ed off and heads rolled!"

The actor had moved to the island whilst working on his debut novel Memoirs and Misinformation, and revealed that the blurry photo used as the book’s cover was actually a real picture of his face taken moments after hearing the news of the bogus missile strike.

"The cover is actually my face after being told I have 10 minutes to live," he told Fallon. "It was completely real to us."

Featured image credit: Sipa US / Alamy

Japan urged citizens to take shelter early this morning (October 4) after North Korea reportedly fired an unexpected ballistic missile over the country for the first time in five years.

The launch marks a potentially deadly escalation of weapons tests by the Kim Jong-un regime, with some outlets describing the move as a deliberate attempt to provoke a response from Tokyo and Washington.

Per a report by CNN, it comes amid a string of missile tests carried out by North Korea over the last ten days, and mark's the country's 23rd such missile launch this year.

Kim Jong-Un inspects what is claimed to be a hydrogen bomb in October 2017. Credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy

According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the intermediate-range warhead was launched at around 7:23AM (local time) from Mupyong-ri, near North Korea's border with China.

It traveled around 2,858 miles in around 20 minutes, reaching heights of around 621 miles above land. Japanese officials reported that the missile flew over the country's Tohoku region on the main island of Honshu, before falling into the Pacific Ocean roughly 1,364 miles offshore.

While there has been no reports of damage caused by the missile, it was enough to trigger a rare J-alert - a Japanese system designed to inform the public of emergencies and threats).

Citizens in the north of Japan - including the Aomori prefecture, Hokkaido, and Tokyo’s Izu and Ogasawara islands - woke up to blaring sirens and text alerts. The warnings read: "North Korea appears to have launched a missile. Please evacuate into buildings or underground," according to a report by BBC News.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also issued a personal warning via his office's Twitter account, urging residents to "not approach anything suspicious that is found and to immediately contact the police or fire department."

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Credit: REUTERS / Alamy

The Prime Minister later described the launch as "violent behavior", while US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson condemned it as a "dangerous and reckless decision" that was "destabilizing" to the region.

Per CNN, The White House has also "strongly condemned" the test, with National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson calling out North Korea’s "blatant disregard for United Nations Security Council resolutions and international safety norms".

Over the past few weeks, the US has been working with Japan and South Korea to strengthen their defense against the growing threat posed by North Korea.

Last week, the three countries conducted naval exercises for the first time in five years - an activity that has antagonized Pyongyang leadership in the past.

After the last round of allied naval exercises in 2017, North Korea fired two missiles over Japan and even conducted a nuclear test.

Featured Image Credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy

In a moment that sounds as unfathomable as the plot of one of his movies, Jim Carrey was once informed that he only had 10 minutes left to live.

Jim Carrey opened up about the terrfying moment. Credit: Steve Granitz / Getty

For the unfortunate few of us, there may come a time when we're told that our lives may be coming to an end sooner than we'd ever have anticipated.

However, 62-year-old Carey once revealed how he responded when he was informed that he only had 10 minutes left to live, in a moment that was "completely real to [him]".

The incident occurred on Jan. 13, 2018, when a number of people in Hawaii received an ominous alert on their cell phones which read: "Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill."

Jim Carrey revealed the moment was "completely real" to him. Credit: Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Getty

The actor, who was living on the island at the time, said he initially thought about escaping when he received the message, but instead chose to make his peace and accept his "fate".

“A fake missile alert in Hawaii. I was there. I was writing,” Carrey told Jimmy Fallon during an interview in 2020. “My assistant Linda called me, she was crying, she said, ‘We have 10 minutes left.’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ She said, ‘The missiles are coming.'”

More on Carrey's incredible experience below:

Officials later said the false alarm was “part of a drill,” and later backtracked even further and said it was “human error” which caused the message to be sent, as reported by the New York Times.

But for residents of Hawaii at the time, the reaction to the "threat" was very real.

"I tried to get off the island to my daughter. I couldn't get off the island," he said. "The question was posed -- should we all try to get together? I said, 'I don't want to die in my car.' And we had to say goodbye."

Following the conversation, Carrey decided to spend his final moments in what he thought would be a peaceful setting.

"I sat on the lanai and looked out at the ocean," he recalled.

"At that point, I just started going, 'OK, well, what can I do with this last moment of time?' And I just decided to go through a list of gratitudes.

“I could not stop thinking of wonderful things that have happened to me and blessings I've had. It was lovely. And I got to a point of grace with about two minutes to spare when I found out it wasn't actually happening.

“And all I was planning to do was close my eyes and be thankful because it's been a good ride."

But when Fallon interjected to ask him how he felt upon learning the event had been fake, Carrey quipped: "Then I got p***ed off and heads rolled!"

The actor had moved to the island whilst working on his debut novel Memoirs and Misinformation, and revealed that the blurry photo used as the book’s cover was actually a real picture of his face taken moments after hearing the news of the bogus missile strike.

Carrey took a photo moments after the warning, and used the image as his book cover. Credit: Amazon

"The cover is actually my face after being told I have 10 minutes to live," he told Fallon. "It was completely real to us."

Featured image credit: Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Getty